Sugar
by BlueberryGoneRed
Summary: Seth and his roommate, Beth, share an apartment in Atlanta. Seth keeps Beth safe from the creeps at the night club where she dances and he sleeps in her bed to help her through traumatic nightmares, but he isn't the "boyfriend" type. When a divorced cop named Dean Ambrose moves in and sparks a strong bond with Beth, Seth has to decide whether he wants to claim her or let her go.
1. Routine

**One: Routine**

 _La Termitas_ was filled to the brim with alcohol and men.

Staged to look more like a night club than a striptease joint, _Termitas_ stood on the corner of a quiet area in downtown Atlanta that could be mistaken by most folks for some sort of slum. The outside wasn't cleaned regularly. When it was, it smelled strongly of pine.

The inside was cleaner than most joints in the area. Dustin was the owner. He liked to be called Goldust. He was a stickler for making his club stand out from the rest by using the most bizarre means possible. He personally stood by while contractors rebuilt the stage to accommodate all the latest sound systems and lights. Velvet curtains and gold leaf poles on either side reminded regulars of Hollywood, though Goldust was aiming for Broadway. He used his last name to title his stage: _Cross Rhodes_. He found the title most fitting because it constantly reminded him of himself.

Tonight, the stage was dark. Beth was waiting just behind the curtain. She had been dancing for Goldust for almost a year, but the butterflies never really flew away.

An audience of males. Mostly alcoholics, meth-heads and ex-military. They were waiting for her routine to begin. Since shortly after Beth's arrival, the club was packed every night. She was the star attraction, though she never realized it for herself.

Cue spotlight. Some men in the audience began to holler. The surround speakers began playing, " _Somewhere, Over the Rainbow_." Beth appeared from behind the curtain. Men clamored to get closer to the stage.

She sang as closely to Judy Garland's original voice as possible. _The Wizard of Oz_ was not an easy piece for Beth's quiet, softer tone, but she loved to sing it and her efforts made it believable.

Beth sang along with the rhythm of the music. The men were more interested in her honey colored skin and soft features than how well she could carry a tune. The room was thick with a tonic of sweat, must, alcohol and buffalo wings. Non-smoking signs were bolted to the walls and could be easily visible to accommodate modern health codes. These signs were often ignored.

Beth didn't mind the smell of tobacco, though. She had gotten used to it.

She made a cute face and batted her eyelashes at the crowd. Some men hollered and others tossed a few bills on stage. Beth swung her long blonde hair while contorting her body into dozens of precarious positions to scoop up her pay. The audience adored her every move. Rowan, the red-headed bouncer, kept people from rushing the stage.

Two girls appeared on stage and flanked either side of Beth. They wore baby blue see-through dresses cut off just below their thighs, entering at the moment Beth sang, " _Blue birds fly..._ "

More reactions from the men. More bills piling up on stage. Beth let the girls pick them up this time. There was plenty to go around and Beth had already gathered her share.

She swayed to the music. The two _bluebirds_ took each of her arms and lifted her up. The men leaned forward as far as they could see to get a glimpse up Beth's dress. Some whistled and others shouted profanities. They all thought they had gotten a good look. Beth had learned that sheer underwear was enough to give the men the perception that they were seeing something forbidden. It also gave her a sense of security should she ever fall off stage and into the crowd of hungry eyes and groping fists.

The women carried Beth across the stage. They let her down at stage right and Beth spun around in circles, then gripped one of the gold leaf poles and feigned dizziness. The men laughed and clapped and cheered for her. One voice called out from nearby, "What a spunky lil' dame!"

Beth batted her blue-green eyes and made a bashful look. The men ate it up like the hounds they were, tossing more bills on stage.

The song was nearly ending. Beth made her way to stage left by dancing and swaying and singing. A blonde woman appeared behind her wearing a black lace ensemble around the waist and green paint accentuating her bare chest. She was described by one patron as, "A _fuckable_ version of the bad witch from Oz."

He added with a wry grin, "I'd let her take my lil' dog any day."

A quick flick of the older woman's wrist and Beth's top came down. The men roared when they finally saw her chest after a few minutes' wait. Beth gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth. She widened her eyes with a look of shock. Pretending the finale was a wardrobe malfunction brought more money than a _paint-by-numbers_ routine.

Money flooded the stage. Beth bowed to scoop them up. The _bluebirds_ and the witch reached for their share and ignored the demands for lap dances and encores until they had gathered all of their tips.

The men called for Beth by her stage name, " _Ruby_!"

Beth smiled and waved and tried her best to look as grateful as possible. It was the end of the night and she was exhausted, but she never showed it. Beth could feel the cold stare of the wicked witch as she exited stage left. The men booed and called for her return. If any of them noticed the wicked witch staring Beth down, probably assumed it was part of the show.

The backstage part of _La Termitas_ felt like a second home to Beth. It was decorated with expensive satin curtains and vintage vanities filled with modern makeup. There was even a costume area next to Goldust's office where he sewed together his latest ideas and where he took his boyfriends for quickies during the day.

For a cowgirl from a small town like Beth, the place resembled a high-end studio reserved for the best dancers. Goldust spared no expense to make his girls happy. Lower rates of turnover meant more money coming back to him in the long run.

Beth took her place at her usual vanity across the room. It was stationed near the basement stairs, an area blocked off by a large velvet curtain. Beth liked this spot because the light breeze from the basement kept her vanity cooler than most. She also liked to be able to see the other women as they entered the room.

The two _bluebirds_ came along just after Beth, taking their respective vanities. The wicked witch came last, taking her place at the vanity across from Beth's. The _bluebirds_ chattered away while they removed their makeup and counted their earnings. The wicked witch reflected in Beth's vanity mirror as a mute figure of indifference who counted her own earnings with the steadiness of a veteran stripper who had learned that mistakes in her totals meant being vulnerable to co-workers who would sooner pick her pockets than let her have all she thought she deserved.

"Wonderful, ladies! Utterly prodigious!" Goldust burst through the curtains with the grace of a prestigious dancing instructor.

Beth was wiping her makeup away at her vanity. Goldust ignored the other girls in the room and made his way toward her. He put his feminine hands on her shoulders and pressed a quick peck on her cheek. His boyish features gazed at her reflection in the mirror as he gave her shoulders a squeeze with more brawn than his delicate fingers appeared to have.

"My _muse_! My _protege_! My _mockingbird_! You were gorgeous tonight, as you are every night!" Goldust sang his praises at her.

Beth felt her cheeks flush despite knowing that Goldust had taken something and wouldn't remember what he said to her by morning light.

He reached down and took a handful of Beth's earnings. His pearly white teeth glowed at her even as he slipped his cut of her earnings into his Japanese-themed silk vest. Beth smiled back at him, considering herself lucky that Goldust was a complete flamer and wanted nothing more from her than cash. He usually only took what he needed to feed his addictions and he allowed Beth to sing to her heart's content. Though he sometimes resembled a serial killer, he was generally a good and decent man.

"So beautiful! So beautiful, all of you!" Goldust sang before leaving to his office and closing the door.

The _bluebirds_ dressed themselves and headed out to the hallway which led to the main exit. Beth found herself alone with the blonde wicked witch character who sat across from her. Beth felt her stomach tighten into knots. She didn't like being alone with _Charlotte_.

"It won't last, you know," Charlotte called over her shoulder.

Charlotte's reflection in Beth's mirror betrayed nothing but a cold, statue-like expression that only came from women who found being sadistic more to their liking. Beth watched through the mirror as Charlotte rose up from her seat and came over to place a pair of dry hands on Beth's bare shoulders. Charlotte's long dark hair brushed across Beth's right cheek. It felt dry and smelled faintly of roses.

"I was just like you, once. In a few years, you'll be just like me. You'll be dancing with your bottoms on to hide the C-Scar."

Charlotte searched Beth's reflection for a reaction. Beth refused to let her find it.

"You'll see," Charlotte chuckled, pushing unnecessarily hard against Beth's shoulders to straighten herself before leaving the room.

Beth waited a long while until she was sure Charlotte had left the building. Beth took her bag and left the quiet back room. She didn't bother to check Goldust's office to see if he had been listening the whole time.

One of the _bluebirds_ , Bayley, was waiting by the exit to say good-bye to Beth. They hugged one another and Bayley let out an airy laugh. They had grown on each other over the past year and Bayley was one of the few women Beth felt could be trusted.

"Go home and get a good night's rest!" Bayley waved happily in Beth's direction when they parted ways, outside.

"I'll try," Beth called back to her.

Bayley yelled enthusiastically, "Does that mean your boy's makin' a move, tonight?"

She was referring to Beth's roommate. Bayley had been waiting for details of a hookup for months. Beth had yet to share so much as a kiss.

"Maybe," Beth shrugged.

"If he don't, I know a lonely guy named Chris Jericho who'll play with you!" Bayley cackled at her own joke.

Beth turned back to roll her eyes and Bayley laughed once more before she disappeared somewhere in the parking lot behind the building. It was three in the morning. The humid Southern air choked Beth's lungs and burned her cheeks. She walked with her gaze a good distance ahead of her to make sure a man didn't decided to stick around after the show.

She had been through her fair share of drunks and lonely veterans looking for a good time. Politely turning them down and lying that she had a boyfriend usually worked. She was aware of the violence that came with her job. So far, nothing too horrible had happened. Beth was grateful for that, but she still kept her guard up.

There was _someone_ waiting for her. Instinct told her it was male. He was leaning against the cinder blocks of the building, a slim shadow figure contrasting against the club's color of eighties-era pastel yellow. Beth could see the bright blue dot of his e-cigarette sticking out from where the mouth would be. He was too dark to make out clothing and whatever he may have with him. _A gun? A knife? More money so he could ask to take her home?_

"Why're you hidin' in the shadows like that?" Beth took a chance by calling out to him.

Seth flexed his shoulder blades to push off from the wall. He stepped into the light and removed his e-cigarette. He habitually stomped it into the ground with the heel of his boot as he barked, "I'm not hidin'."

"Yeah? Well, it sure looked like you were," she teased him with a smile.

He didn't lighten up. Seth usually never did. He started walking and Beth followed him to his motorcycle. He had parked it on the empty street near the stop light. Seth didn't put on a helmet but handed Beth one of her own. Her eyes dilated a little when she saw the bright pink helmet shining so brightly against the light of the moon. Seth waited patiently for her to work the helmet's strap.

They had met by happenstance shortly after Beth started working at _La Termitas_. Seth's older half-brother, Randy, was working as a bouncer for the club while he taste-tested Goldust's new shipments of alcohol _La Termita's_ grill and bar area opposite the stage. Randy also charmed most of the girls and eventually knocked one of them up. After receiving the news, Randy promptly got himself arrested and jailed to avoid responsibility for his actions.

Seth stopped by to talk to the girl Randy knocked up. Beth remembered her name was Nikki. Unlike his older brother, Seth was concerned for Nikki and offered to pay what he could to help her raise his niece or nephew. Beth watched as Seth came by daily to talk to Nikki, offering his help until Nikki just disappeared one day and left a note that she had gotten an abortion.

Beth was asked to give Seth the note. He was understandably furious, but Beth also noticed that Seth carried a strong sense of guilt about the situation, as if it were somehow his fault. Seth stood to never come back to the club, but Beth persuaded him to stick around until they could find another bouncer to replace Randy. It was only a week until they found Rowan, but Seth continued to show up like he had nothing better to do and no one else to see. He would sit at the bar and chain smoke his e-cigarettes, taking a drink from time to time, passing the hours while watching the girls with idle interest.

Seth only seemed intrigued when Beth was onstage. She noticed the way he looked at her. It didn't give her the creepy feeling that she got from most other guys. He didn't look like he was objectifying her. Despite his deeply thoughtful and sometimes completely stoic expression, his eyes as dark and smoldering as the wood of an Oregon forest on a rainy day could easily get lost somewhere deep inside of her.

They moved in together just a short while after meeting each other. It was a move that Beth didn't tell anyone in her family about except her step-sister, Lana. With a corporate job in New York City, Lana had little time to come down there in person and chew Beth out, but she made it plenty clear by phone and by text that she was not happy with Beth's decision.

Beth personally felt her decision was the right one. She knew Seth was not the kind of guy to up and leave her. He was loyal through and through. He proved that to her when he tried so hard to help Nikki. Beth learned over time that Seth was also not the kind of guy who had parties and hookups. In fact, Seth seemed to have some social anxiety and the only friend Beth knew he had never came over to their place. Seth seemed uncomfortable with flirting and Beth usually acted like his girlfriend in public so he didn't have to turn girls down. Seth responded in kind by acting like Beth's boyfriend to keep the creeps away. They were friends with a perfect system.

She sure wished they were friends with _benefits_.


	2. How the Bad Boy Met the Good Girl

**Two: How the Bad Boy Met the Good Girl**

"Have you had any trouble?" Seth asked over his shoulder as he mounted his bike.

Beth shook her head and her helmet jiggled off-center. She straightened it and took a seat behind him. Seth waited until Beth was holding fast to his waist before he kicked up his stick and started the engine. He bolted out into the quiet night with the skill of a long-term rider. Beth rested her head between his shoulder blades and closed her eyes, feeling the coolness of his leather vest soothing against her burning cheek.

She never liked riding motorcycles. It made her feel exposed to the hazards of passing cars and she hated to see the closeness of the pavement just beneath her feet. Her heart fluttered wildly in her chest. She did her best to open her eyes and focus on other things. Buildings passing by. Skyscrapers like curtains draping the night sky. Colorful banners displaying the next date for the rodeo. _Seth_.

Their apartment wasn't but a few blocks from the club. Beth was grateful for such a short trip. Seth parked behind the two-level complex. He kept the bike steady until Beth was back on her feet. He liked to hide his bike under the particle board wheelchair ramp so no one would steal it. Beth had talked to him dozens of times about getting a chain or something else for security. Seth scoffed at the very notion. He seemed to think he could sense when someone was gunning for his ride and he would have no trouble defending it. Beth imagined he would use the large hunting knife he kept above the refrigerator. She hoped it would never come to that. Self-defense would be hard to plea with such excessive force.

They walked around to the front of the building and came up the steps. A brown stained door with a glass center greeted them. The porch light was dimmed from a rather zealous amount of June bugs and breeds of moth that appeared to come straight out of a science fiction film. Beth blew out of her mouth in disgust and held her helmet against her chest while Seth made quick work of the door to let them inside. A few moths followed after them and Beth waved them away from her golden blonde hair.

"Bethy! Oh, Bethy! Oh, Lord, I'm so glad you're here!" Enzo came rushing out of apartment 17A on the first floor to greet her.

He grabbed her by her lower ribs and lifted her up in a sort of awkward hello. The force almost knocked the wind out of Beth and she glanced wide eyed at Seth. Before Seth could pull him away, Enzo had already put Beth down and he was headed back down the hallway. Beth watched as Enzo pointed at the door of 14B and stated, "I think the guy in fourteen B is dead... _AGAIN_!"

Beth held a finger to her lips to hush him. Enzo nodded and imitated zipping his lips closed. His wide, saucer shaped eyes were red and bloodshot. His lighter skin had turned a pale yellow. He was a starving artist from NYC diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He was also prone to using street drugs to induce manic highs because he thought it made him more creative.

"Oh, Bethy! What can we do?!" Enzo started to get excited, again.

Beth quietly walked over to the door of the apartment 14B. She took Enzo's face between her hands and told him slowly, "If Mr. Lawler were dead, that would mean he couldn't pick up his mail. Maybe we should check his box and see what's there."

Enzo's face twisted as if it were being town apart by something invisible. It took him almost thirty seconds to fully process what Beth had said to him before his face beamed as if illuminated by goodness. Beth let him go so that Enzo could turn and open the letter box next to 14B. Beth could only hope that Mr. Lawler had thought to check his mail that day.

Fortunately, it was empty. Enzo cried out happily, "Oh, thank god! Thank the bastard who lives in fourteen B for being alive!"

Beth put her finger to her lips to hush him, again. Enzo went quiet, but the massive grin on his face refused to fade.

He leaned in to whisper to Beth like sharing a secret, "I thought I saw his ghost in my room. I was gonna paint what I saw so's you would believe me, but he was gone before I could really get a good look."

Beth took his hand and guided him back to his apartment. Enzo followed her to his bedroom and Beth told him as he lay down against the mattress he'd set on the floor, "I'll have Seth take a look around. We'll make sure there ain't no ghosts, here."

Enzo made an expression of deep confusion, but nodded that he understood all the same. The bedroom was dark but the light from the kitchen shined through the open door and gave them enough to see. Beth helped Enzo take off his paint stained sneakers. She took a battered quilt from the far corner and draped it over him.

"It's passed down from the family, you know," Enzo clutched the quilt and held it up so Beth could get a better look.

"It's lovely," she smiled and nodded.

Beth stayed by his bedside until Enzo's breathing slowed. She sang some lyrics pulled from a Carried Underwood song. She didn't even reach the chorus before Enzo was out cold. Beth turned to face the door and saw Seth leaning against the frame with his arms folded like he'd been there waiting the whole time.

"Get me a trash bag. I wanna clean up a bit," she told him as she stood up.

"You don't have to do that," Seth grumbled.

He was tired after pulling a double shift at the slaughterhouse. Beth was tired, too, but she couldn't bear to leave Enzo in the sty that had once been the cleanest apartment in the complex.

Beth gave him a look. Seth snorted and took off. If Beth didn't know him, better, she'd think he was abandoning her. He returned thirty seconds later and Beth dumped the armful of trash she had into Seth's open bag. He silently helped her gather much of the mess, but he refused to touch anything that appeared wet or moldy. Beth also chose to stop when she found a pile of used condoms stuffed in a sock labeled in permanent marker: TUESDAY PROJECT.

"I don't even know what that means," Beth whispered to Seth.

He shrugged.

Seth took the trash to the dumpster outside while Beth made her way upstairs to their apartment. She immediately took a shower and washed away anything that clung to her that she didn't want to keep. Standing under the warm water, Beth thought about touching herself, but all she could see when she closed her eyes were Enzo's bloodshot ones staring back at her with a mix of fear and self-loathing. She gave up trying to get aroused.

Beth pushed the curtain back and stepped out of the tub. She smiled. Seth had slipped in at some point and left her a towel and a change of clothes. Her nighttime wear consisted of a white tank top and a pair of Seth's red and black boxers. They were like shorts but way more comfortable. The towel was warm when Beth used it to dry herself. The clothes were also at perfect temperature. Seth had just taken them out of the dryer.

She tied her hair back in a loose ponytail. Beth checked herself in the mirror before she met Seth in the kitchen. He was sitting at the patio table and looking over the classifieds while his left hand idly peeled at the label of a half-empty bottle of beer. Seth had already set out a glass of milk and a plate of spaghetti for Beth. She glanced at the meal. There were meat slices in it that resembled beef, but Beth knew better.

Seth had been working at the local slaughterhouse the past six months. It was back-breaking work, and most of the men there were illegals or ex-convicts. Seth had managed to make a friend with an Irishman out of Boston named Finn. The money was also very good and Seth could have all the discarded meat he wanted. He was keen at finding the good pieces to take home so they had some protein on their table every night.

Beth took a big bite. It tasted just fine. Seth didn't look up from the classifieds until Beth asked quietly, "You lookin' for somethin' new?"

"Maybe," he shrugged.

Seth turned back to the classifieds. Beth chattered between bites, "I could help you write up a resume."

He scoffed. She ignored him and went on, "Most jobs wanna see that you've got stuff goin' on. I'll make sure it looks good."

Seth's somber eyes drifted up from the papers. He watched her face for a moment before his silky browns sank down to her chest. He stared a while. Beth tried to read him, wondering why he looked like he was checking her out.

She looked down. Beth cursed under her breath when she realized some of the spaghetti had spilled into her tank and spread orange sauce down her front.

"Goddamn," Beth mumbled as she reached down her tank to fish out the tangles of pasta.

"It's no big," Seth replied.

"Yeah, it is! You go an' spend all that time on the laundry an' I screw it up in three shakes of a lamb's tail," Beth argued as she stood up from her chair.

She opened the fridge and searched for a bottle of club soda. Her family were long accustomed to using club soda for stains. It was good for messes with alcohol same as food.

Beth pulled her tank over her head, taking little notice of the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra. She dabbled her tank with club soda and massaged the stained fabric. After a short while, she sensed she was alone and looked up. Seth was gone.

Beth frowned as she pondered if she had been too comfortable exposing herself in front of him. He had seen her at the club plenty of times before so she thought she had nothing to hide, but his swift exit made her think she had done something wrong. Beth closed the fridge and went to the sink to wipe off the excess sauce from between her breasts. She couldn't help feeling self-conscious that maybe Seth didn't like what he saw. When she was on stage, it didn't matter if men liked her body or not. _Only Seth made her feel this way._

He returned without warning from the back room where the laundry was kept. He had a clean tank top in his hand. Beth still felt insecure and she instinctively draped the stained tank top over her front to cover herself.

Seth remained stoic as he said, "Brought you a new one," and added as he held it out to her, "I'll take the old one back."

He didn't seem bothered by the fact that she would have to expose herself once more. Beth reluctantly revealed herself again as she handed over the stained one. He took it and she snatched the new one out of his hand. Beth quickly put it on. Seth watched her all the while, his expression betraying nothing. She searched his face. Whatever he was thinking, he didn't make it known.

"Can I ask you somethin'?" Beth said to break the silence.

He shrugged. She quickly added, "You can't get mad, though!"

Seth stiffened as he braced himself to hear something he wouldn't like. He nodded shortly for her to continue.

"You think about guys the way I would?" Beth asked, wondering if she'd be met with an outburst.

She didn't want to ask Seth outright if he were gay. By asking in a way that gave him an out, he might take the bait and respond with less ire. Seth's eyes wandered over her frame and down to the spot between her breasts that was stained moments, before. She knew the answer to her question even before he said it.

"No," his tone was somehow rough and silky at the same time.

Beth felt the desperate need to ask him more. She wanted to know how he felt about _her_. He seemed to sense where the conversation was going and he left the room so fast, Beth had to blink a few times to register he was really gone.

"What do ya think of me?" she whispered to the open air.

Whether he heard her or not, Seth didn't answer.


	3. Baby Bird, Fly Away

**Three: Baby Bird Fly Away**

"Look here, Baby Bird! You look like you just wanna fly away."

Randy made his way towards her in the narrow hallway. He had just come from the bathroom and it showed. He was high on something and he smelled like one of the toilet cakes. Beth did not want to venture to guess why.

She was near the front entrance and she considered going out the door before Randy got to her. Randy resembled a villain, but he was one that she could anticipate, and he was the lesser of many other forms of evil that stepped into this place.

Beth was watching _one_ of those other forms of evil sitting at the far side of the main room when Randy showed up. She tried to look away so Randy wouldn't notice which direction she was facing, but he saw the concern in her eyes long before she could hide it.

Randy glanced over at the other evil Beth had been watching. He was a tall man with a military-style way about him. Buzz cut, commando jeans and a light green t-shirt showcasing bulging muscles. The guy was built solid and looked like he didn't know how to smile. It'd take more than a couple of bouncers to bring him down.

"Is that boy bothering you?" Randy nodded over at the man across the room.

Beth folded her arms and snapped back, "Shouldn't you be lookin' for Nikki? You two are a couple, ain't that right?"

Randy's gaze went cold and Beth regretted trying to make an enemy out of him. She let her arms drop and turned her eyes away. Randy took her body language as a form of apology and went back to his usual crude self, "I'm not her keeper. Just 'cause we share the same bed, that doesn't mean we share everything."

Beth nodded her head and turned her attention back to the man across the room.

"Ya know, if that boy's giving you a hard time, I'll go over there and scare him off...for a kiss," Randy leaned forward and pouted his lips.

Beth whirled around to get away from him and rushed out the door. She was halfway down the block when he came out and called after her, "Come back here, Baby Bird! Papa Jaybird was just playin' around with you! Come on, now! If you really wanna be saved, I'll sick my lil' brother on your boy! Seth looooovvees saving damsels in distress!"

"What's wrong?" Seth asked.

His voice took Beth out of her memories and back to the present day. It was nearly a year ago since she last saw Randy. He was back in jail for drug possession and breaking and entering. She wondered sometimes if he liked it better on the _inside_.

"Nothin'," she shook her head and poured her coffee.

It was three in the afternoon, but since they worked nights, this was their breakfast time. Seth had made pancakes and eggs while Beth was in the shower. She usually only wanted coffee, but she'd take a few bites because it made Seth less grouchy.

"You were thinking about something big," he pointed out.

She shook her head, but he refused to forget it. Seth hopped up on the counter and jammed an entire pancake into his mouth like it was his last meal. He always ate that way, but he was doing it this time to make her laugh.

Beth relented between giggles, "I was just thinkin' 'bout Randy."

" _Rundy_?!" Seth's full mouth growled.

She rolled her eyes and argued, "It weren't nothin' bad! I was just thinkin' 'bout a time when he said he'd help me at the club."

Seth swallowed everything down and made a hard frown. Beth added quietly, "It was before I knew you. I didn't have anyone to protect me, then."

He nodded but his frown sank deeper. Beth knew he was regretting that he hadn't met her, sooner. She went on to distract him, "It don't matter, now. I was havin' trouble with a guy who kept comin' around. His name was Bobby Roode, or at least that's what he told me. Bobby was startin' to come by all the time askin' for me. I thought he might do somethin' bad if I turned him down, again. Randy offered to make him go away is all. I dunno what happened to him. He just stopped comin' by after a while."

"Randy chased him off?" Seth asked curiously.

"No," Beth took a sip of coffee and surmised with a shrug, "I woulda been fine with Randy helpin' me, but he wanted somethin' in return."

"Wha's that?" Seth asked.

Beth suddenly felt her cheeks growing hot. She quickly went over to the kitchen table and sat down to check the paper. Seth waited for her to go on. When she didn't, he hopped down from the counter and said, "Randy's still at County. I'll just stop by and ask him."

"Wait!" Beth shouted, stopping Seth on his way out the door.

He came back and smugly took the seat across from her. She took in a deep breath and explained, "He wanted...a kiss."

She studied Seth's expression. His lip twitched slightly, but he was quick to hide anything he was feeling behind a hard glare.

"That's all?" he scoffed.

His indifference made her angry enough to slam her hands against the table in an effort to stand up. Beth called over her shoulder as she left the room, "It's degrading! I don' need some man to save me just so he can...suck my face!"

She was looking for the most disgusting way to phrase a kiss, but it had come out sounding more like a joke than anything. She listened intently to make sure Seth wasn't laughing as she walked away. If he was, she'd go back in there and flip him off.

:-:

Beth planned on staying away from Seth for a while, but they had to go shopping and if she sent him by himself, he'd come back with nothing but Doritos and beer. She resented being so afraid of riding on his motorcycle as she desperately clung to his waist like a teenage girl. There were even some guys in the parking lot of the supermarket who shot her those looks like they wanted to say, _"Baby, I'd let you ride on my motorcycle anytime."_

She was so mad at Seth, she was actually considering taking one of those guys up on their offer. Seth wasn't the jealous type, though. He'd let her make an ass out of herself and she'd just end up feeling worse.

He followed her into the store and he stayed behind her while she took a cart and started going down their list. They were quiet the whole time, but Seth didn't need words to know when she wanted him. The high shelves were especially tricky for her, but he had no trouble reaching up from behind her and getting things down. Being mad at him while simultaneously needing his help was putting her at her wit's end.

"Beth, honey! There you are!"

She stopped short when she saw Jojo trotting down the aisle towards her. Jojo was a neighbor from back home. Everyone there thought Beth had gone to Atlanta to pursue a country music career.

Even with no way she'd get caught at a neutral place like the grocery store, Beth still felt a twinge of guilt and shame for lying to someone who'd cared so much for her in the past.

"Well, look at you! The country girl gone to the big city!" Jojo enveloped Beth in a huge hug.

Jojo's long auburn curls tickled Beth's cheeks. She still smelled like apple pie. It made Beth miss home.

"Is this your beau?" she asked when they parted, taking a good long look at Seth.

"Yes, indeed! This is Seth Rollins! Seth, this is Jojo! She used to take me around town when we were in high school," Beth introduced them.

Seth nodded a hello without offering his hand. Jojo pulled up both of his hands and clasped them with hers. She smiled and told him, "Aren't _you_ a handsome one."

Jojo stared a second too long at his beard and added, "You sure look like a working man."

Her smile looked strained as she said the words. Beth could tell Jojo was judging him. Seth knew it, too.

She quickly let him go and reached for her basket, telling Beth before she left, "You let me know when your album comes out! I'm gonna buy every last copy the minute it hits the shelves!"

"Yes, Lady Jo, I will," Beth replied.

She waited until Jojo was out of sight before she looked back at Seth. He was staring down the opposite end of the aisle with his arms folded.

"Don't listen to her. She don't know you like I do," Beth said.

Seth shrugged like he was trying to make the hurt fall away.

Beth took the basket and redirected it so they could move on. When Seth didn't immediately follow, she stopped to look back at him and added, "I think you're real handsome."

He looked up at her and blinked a few times like the words took a while to register. He finally let his arms down.

"We need a few more things," she started off again, beckoning him to come along.

She was about to reach for some canned goods at the end of the aisle when she felt his presence behind her. Seth brought the cans down and placed them in the basket as he mumbled, "You don't have to kiss anybody you don't want to."

That was his way of making an apology for earlier. She accepted it willingly and pecked his cheek for good measure. He flinched, but he didn't step back like he usually did when he was on the receiving end of a display of affection.

"I like boys with a little grease on their hands," she teased as she walked away.

She didn't have to look back to know he was checking himself for grease stains.


	4. Automatic Pain

**Four: Automatic Pain**

The apartment had two bedrooms, but Seth mostly slept with Beth after he discovered that she was a deeply troubled sleeper.

She often had vivid nightmares that she would act out in her sleep. She had hurt herself a number of times and Seth was concerned she would accidentally kill herself while fending off the figures in her dreams. She would sometimes sleepwalk and Seth would follow her around to make sure she was safe. Seth was a light sleeper and he let Beth take the side of the bed closest to the wall so he could block her from getting past him. She usually couldn't crawl out to sleepwalk without climbing over him, but there were times when she managed to get out by bypassing Seth and sliding down to the foot of the bed. He rarely slept through her escape attempts. He hated himself when he did. Those were the times she'd get _hurt_.

This time, Seth woke up to Beth screaming.

Her violent shrieking came without warning. Seth was so startled, he fell out of bed but managed to land nimbly on his feet. He climbed back into bed and quickly grabbed Beth by her wrists so she wouldn't lash out and scratch them both up.

"Beth! Beth!" he called out to her.

She was screaming too loudly to hear him. Her face was twisted into an expression of explicit suffering. Her voice was already going hoarse, but the sound was no less horrific.

"Beth!" Seth came around behind her and held her arms at her sides.

She was fighting him despite his efforts. He did his best to hold her against him. If she kept it up, he worried the neighbors would call the police.

Seth pressed his lips to her ear and told her, "Beth, I'm right here. You're safe."

He didn't have to yell being so close to her. Somewhere in her mind, Beth must've heard him. She slowly came out of her nightmare. Seth could see her eyelashes fluttering rapidly. He could feel her body trembling. Her skin was hot and covered in sweat. He lessened his grip on her arms but kept a hold on them in case she wasn't completely awake, yet.

"Ow," Beth mumbled, making a pained gasp.

"Where's it hurt?" Seth rubbed her wrists in case he had been holding her too tightly.

They slept during the day, so Beth had bought room darkening curtains to keep the light out. Some light still managed to slip through the top and sides of the curtain. Seth looked down and saw dark stains on the sheets and around Beth's bottoms.

He curiously reached down and pressed his fingertips between her legs. Beth didn't move to stop him or say anything in protest. She just sucked in a breath and held it.

"You're all wet down there," he focused on the fabric of the boxers and ignored the fact that he could somewhat feel the curly hair just on the other side.

"Oh, God!" Beth shot out of bed and away from his grip.

Seth stared at the stains on the sheets. He could see a sheen of blood on his fingers where he had touched Beth. He was aware that girls had periods and most guys thought of it as a taboo subject, but seeing it for what it was hardly affected Seth at all. He didn't want Beth to run away from him over something she couldn't help.

"Beth," he stated calmly.

She was too embarrassed to face him. She just opened the door and called over her shoulder, "Go on back to your room! I'll clean it up! Just pretend this _**NEVER**_ happened!"

Beth slammed the door before Seth could get another word in, edgewise. He stared at the sheets a while, longer. Beth said she'd take care of it, but Seth remembered something about how to remove blood stains from fabric.

Maybe he should've been more bothered by it. Maybe that's how a normal guy would react. He just couldn't bring himself to be that affected. He wanted Beth to know it didn't bother him. She had locked herself in the bathroom. He wondered if she'd come out anytime, soon.

:-:

Beth was absolutely horrified.

She didn't know if she could ever face Seth, again. Why did she have to do this on a night that he was lying in bed with her? Not to mention the fact that he reached down and felt it! _Oh, God!_ He was half an inch away from being able to bring her to orgasm! Now, he'd probably associate trying to go down on her with getting blood on his hands!

Beth couldn't stop the horrible thoughts racing through her mind. She turned on the shower and cried quietly while she rinsed herself off. The more shame and humiliation she felt, the more difficult it was to believe Seth would ever think of her in a _sexual_ way.

"He's not even my boyfriend," she scolded herself for being so childish.

She turned the shower off and stepped out of the tub. It was only after she had dried off that she realized she didn't have another pair of bottoms to put on. She put her tank top back on and went to work on the stained boxers in the sink. Since they were Seth's, she wanted to scrub the boxers until they were beyond clean to make it up to him. Even if he still decided to throw them out, at least she would know she had tried to make it right.

The stain wasn't coming out as well as she wanted it to. Beth stifled more tears and squatted down to get into her hatbox on the floor underneath the sink. It was filled with supplies for her monthly needs. It was also the only place Seth never looked, so she kept her butterfly-shaped vibrator in there, along with a few tea lights that she used for long baths on her days off when Seth worked late.

He had a weird qualm with candles. Whenever Beth so much as glanced at a candle in the store, Seth would frown and go on about how they were useless novelty items.

He was even worse when it came to scented candles. Seth believed the scents were based on things that, "Aren't even in the real world," or foods that only made people want to, "Go out and buy a bunch of desserts!"

She had managed to get the tea lights from another girl at the club. Seth found a stray one on the kitchen table that had fallen out of her purse.

"What the hell is this?!" he pointed at it and glared.

"A tea light," she tried to sound sweet so he wouldn't be so mad.

He held it up to the light to inspect it. He made a sour face and argued, "How much was this?! It's barely big enough to be worth the time it takes to light it!"

Then he tossed it in the trash and added as he left the room, "Fucking tea light candles are for pussies!"

She shot back at him, "I HAVE A _**PUSSY**_!"

He scoffed loudly down the hallway. He never brought up an argument about something being for pussies, again.

Beth reached for a tampon and closed the hatbox just as she heard a soft knock at the bathroom door. Seth spoke quietly from the other side, "I brought you another set."

He didn't sound judgmental, but Beth couldn't help feeling upset. She was sure he had probably brought her a pair of her own shorts after she'd just ruined a pair of his boxers. She opened the door and snatched away what was in his hand without looking at it. His eyes drifted down. She pretended not to be aware that she was completely exposed below the waist as she yelled rather harshly, "Thanks!"

Seth flinched like the snap in her words had turned physical once it reached him. She slammed the door and locked it. She looked down at what he had brought for her and she almost burst into tears.

He had given her another pair of _his_ boxers.

She regretted being so mean to him. She called back through the door, "Seth, I'm sorry!"

He didn't respond. She hoped he had stood there long enough to hear her. Beth got herself together and finished cleaning the other boxers in the sink before she dared to leave the bathroom. She took the boxers out of the sink and tightened the fabric to get most of the water out. She balled it in her hand and opened the door to peek out.

Seth was nowhere to be seen. Beth made her way to the kitchen. He wasn't there. She continued to the large open closet in the back where they kept the washer and dryer. Beth planned to put some more stain remover on the boxers in her hand before putting them in the wash.

The washer was already running when she got there. Beth could see her white sheets in the circular window. There were several bottles of unlabeled chemicals on the floor. She hadn't even thought of the fact that Seth might know how to remove blood stains.

" _Fuck_ ," she sighed.

Somehow, she had found a way to feel even worse. She tossed the wet boxers into the dirty laundry basket and slowly made her way back to her room. Seth had replaced the sheets on her bed with clean ones. Beth climbed into bed and buried herself under her blankets. She hoped the world would forget about her for a while.

:-:

She kept getting up to use the bathroom. Something was wrong. Beth could feel it.

She waited until Seth was up and in the kitchen making breakfast. Beth came in and asked him, "Would you mind takin' me to a doctor?"

He nodded without hesitation.

:-:

The doctor's office was nearly full. There were children playing on the floor and toys were scattered everywhere. An old man was coughing furiously in the corner. A heavier man with a lazy eye kept trying to put his focus on Beth's chest. Seth wouldn't stop fidgeting in the seat next to her. Beth hated filling out forms. She always had to list the fact that her father was an alcoholic. Though she had never showed signs of the addiction, doctors always made it a point to warn her about her susceptibility.

She didn't like being looked at like a potential victim of her father's _demons_.

"Beth Harold?" the pretty nurse behind the window called her out.

She managed to make her way through the maze of toys on the floor. A three-year-old with a long head of curly golden locks beamed up at her when she passed. Those were the moments when Beth really wanted a baby of her own.

Seth stayed in the waiting room. Beth wondered how bored he was. She knew she'd have to come up with something big to make it up to him after all he'd done for her in the last twelve hours. She'd seen her friends take advantage of boys to serve their own needs, before. She never wanted to be one of _those_ girls.

"It looks like we've got a case of clotting," Dr. Spencer told her after a few minor tests and several questions.

It sounded bad. Beth made a worried look. Dr. Spencer's thin lips spread into a sweet smile of reassurance. She made Beth feel better.

"This is not an uncommon thing. Women who don't have regular periods often run into problems like clotting. The blood simply stays where it is and builds up until it suddenly releases. It usually happens without warning and this can be very frightening."

Beth decided not to tell the doctor about her embarrassing moment with Seth and simply nodded.

"There are ways to remedy the situation and avoid further problems down the line. Birth control is very effective in keeping periods regular. I can prescribe a low hormone contraceptive to reduce any risks."

Beth swallowed hard. She had always believed birth control to be something of a forbidden subject. Her half-sister, Lana, was the only one who took them. Beth never liked that she did. Their religion called it a sin. The girls at school that used them boasted about their many boyfriends. Beth had always associated birth control with an excuse for girls to have as much sex as they wanted without consequences. She had never even heard of someone using it to control irregular periods.

"I'll tell you what, I'll fill a prescription at your pharmacy, and you choose whether you want to pick it up or not," Dr. Spencer had easily picked up on Beth's nervousness.

"Um...okay," Beth nodded.

She could hear Lana's voice teasing her in the back of her mind, "Not so innocent, anymore!"

:-:

Seth waited for Beth to come out. He watched the children playing to pass the time. The three-year-old with the long yellow hair was sure a cutie. He didn't mind being around kids, but he had never thought as much about having some of his own.

When Beth did reappear, she looked distraught. Seth's instincts kicked in and he nearly shot out of his seat. He prepared himself for whatever might be coming. He would protect her no matter what. _No matter fucking what._

Beth took a follow-up card from the receptionist and Seth followed her outside. She turned to face him and said, "I'm sorry for bein' so mean. I'm just tired is all."

He could tell she was on the verge of tears. Seth stood taller to show her he could take anything she might throw at him as he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothin' real bad," she shook her head and wiped any stray tears away, "But I gotta pick somethin' up at the drug store."

Seth was sure it had something to do with her bleeding. There were too many stains on her sheets not to cause concern.

He nodded and chewed his lower lip. Beth didn't offer more information, so Seth went around to grab his motorcycle.

They rode in silence to the drug store. Seth waited nearby while Beth went to the pharmacy to pick up what she needed. He kept his distance so she wouldn't get the idea he was trying to eavesdrop.

A heavy woman with stringy hair stood behind the checkout window. She glanced over Beth's prescription and made a deep frown of disapproval. Beth's cheeks turned bright red. Seth didn't understand why.

The woman handed the prescription over. Seth was just close enough to hear her criticize Beth, "A lil' girl like you without no wedding ring don't need to be takin' no birth control!"

There was no one else around to hear it, but Beth was as mortified as if the woman had announced it over the loudspeakers. Beth shoved the prescription as far down into her purse as it would go. Her hands were trembling as she struggled to pull out some cash. The woman just stood there with a smug look on her face like she was completely in the right.

Seth was _furious_.

"What the fuck, lady?!" Seth stormed over and pointed right at the woman.

She took a big step back. Beth gazed at Seth with widened eyes as he chewed the cashier out with a series of lies, "How dare you call out my wife for taking care of herself?! You know, we've got two at home and we're planning on more real soon, but we're taking our dear sweet goddamn time! Not that it's any of your damn business! And you think she isn't married just because she doesn't have a goddamn ring? I took it down to the ring man so he could add a bigger diamond! Now you've gone and made me spoil the surprise!"

By that time, the pharmacist had been alerted to the goings on. Seth shouted a few more profanities and lies while he pulled a crumpled twenty from his own pocket and tossed it on the counter.

"Keep the fucking change, damn bitch!" Seth spat.

The woman was too dumbfounded to provide a counter-attack. Seth quickly took Beth by the wrist and led her away before the pharmacist could get to them. He led Beth along until they were back outside and well into the parking lot. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one had followed them.

Seth let Beth go and he paced back and forth like a caged animal. He rambled in his riled up state, "Can you believe that bitch? Telling you what medicine you can and cannot take?! What does she know?! She sits behind a damn counter all day-"

A _**kiss**_ from Beth stopped him short.

Her lips were soft and wet. He could taste the salt from her tears. She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed him as tightly as she could, a gesture that would've normally given him cause to pull away, but he was caught completely off-guard.

Seth clutched the backs of her elbows. He debated between yanking her off of him and gently leading her back. He was riled up enough to commit the former, but her kiss had given him reason not to need excessive force.

He didn't have to think about it so much. Beth let him go after just a short while and buried her head against his chest. He couldn't register until almost a minute afterwards that the kiss itself wasn't so bad. The sensation of her lips lingered on his for a while. When it faded, he felt the need to _feel_ it, again.

"I love you, Seth Rollins," Beth mumbled against his chest.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd heard those words. Maybe his mother had said it to him when he was a kid. Maybe he'd just heard it said by actors on a TV show or in the movies. He never really knew what the words meant or why it was so important for people to say it to each other. Apparently, it meant something to Beth.

"Do you love me, too?" she whispered.

"Mmm-hmm," he replied.

The words may not have meant something to him, but _**she**_ did.


	5. Shoulda Thought of That

**Five: Shoulda Thought of That**

Seth couldn't stop thinking about that **_kiss_**.

He went to work after he took Beth home from the pharmacy. He saw a moving van just outside of the apartment complex when he left. There was a tall guy in a tank top bent over inside the truck and a pre-teen scowling by some boxes on the street. The teen perked up a bit when he saw Seth passing. He had probably been taught to mind his manners even when he was busy pouting.

Seth mounted his bike and set his helmet. The teen watched with curious interest but didn't say a word. Seth assumed the teen was probably using the silent treatment on his father in the truck and he didn't want to alert anyone that his mood had changed.

"I'm Max," the teen said just before Seth started his motorcycle.

Seth nodded that he had heard him. The teen named Max made a huge grin. Seth knew at that moment that this kid had built an instant attachment to him and he would be looking for attention every time they met. What made Seth uncomfortable was how Max's dad was going to feel about his son hanging out with an older biker who wore leather vests and worked at a slaughterhouse.

Seth was certain the connection wouldn't last long.

:-:

His mind kept drifting back to thoughts of Beth on his way to work. It was her day off and he worried she would try to take a nap while he was gone and she would end up sleepwalking, again. He wasn't exactly sure why her episodes were so strong, but he had pieced together the stories she told about her past to get a good idea of what might be the trigger.

Beth had lost her mother while she was still a young teen. She didn't talk about it much, but Seth gathered that Beth was at the age where parents had become uncool and the mother she did everything with as a child became the one person she wanted to drift away from. Seth had heard stories about Lana's rebellion and Beth's form of anarchy was much simpler, but she had still done enough to feel guilty when her mother died within three months of a breast cancer diagnosis.

He had also pieced together another tragic story from Beth's past. During her Senior year of high school, Beth was dating a boy named Jimmy. He was a neighbor and family friend, and they grew up together. Beth had told Seth that Jimmy died in a car accident a few months before graduation. Seth was rifling through the closet one night while Beth was at work and a shoe box full of photos and articles fell down. He glanced at each one before putting them back in the box. He came across several newspaper articles that talked about Jimmy's accident. He was driving too fast and rear-ended a semi. Jimmy was decapitated.

Beth never said as much, but Seth assumed that Jimmy was her first. From what she had said about their relationship, it didn't sound like Beth was as interested in Jimmy as he was with her, but she certainly held a place in her heart for him.

Seth had never known Jimmy, but he couldn't help wondering what traits Jimmy had that made Beth fall for him. Seth pondered many theories while he worked through the evening. His co-worker, Finn Balor, didn't seem to mind that Seth was so lost in thought.

"Wha's on yer mind, then?" Finn asked when the had a break for lunch.

Finn was an Irish immigrant who was raised in Boston. He carried the accent and the hard-headedness with him to Atlanta. Seth usually kept to himself, but Finn felt like a brother to him.

"Beth went and kissed me," Seth tried to shrug it off like it was no big deal.

Finn smiled but didn't get loud and obnoxious about it. Seth liked that.

"You kiss 'er back?" he teased.

Seth scoffed and argued, "Of course I kissed her back!"

Finn leaned in closely and whispered, "You put yer tongue down 'er thrawt?"

Seth stifled a chuckle and replied shortly, "No, I didn't."

"Aw, too bad for 'er," Finn acted disappointed.

They ate for a few minutes in silence. The humid Atlanta air was still thick even after the sun went down. The insect population was worse after nightfall and sometimes Seth swore he saw giant, mutated versions trying to fly at his face when he wasn't paying attention.

"You tell 'er you luv 'er?" Finn asked to break the billowing of bullfrogs in the distance.

"Sort of," Seth mumbled.

Finn looked at him wide-eyed and argued, "Sor' of? Sor' of?! You gotta dew it righ' or she'll move on to a man who weel!"

Seth nodded that he understood. They finished their meals and tossed their garbage. Finn mentioned over his shoulder, "Any girl takes up yer mind this long; she's a keeper."

"Yeah, she is," Seth replied with another nod.

:-:

Seth finished his shift around five in the morning. He waited around for his paycheck and he didn't end up getting home until close to eight-thirty. He was surprised to see the light on to their apartment when he parked his motorcycle. Seth also noticed that the moving van was gone. He knew that the apartment next to theirs had been vacant for a while. Seth was reminded that the kid named Max had made a connection with him. If we was just next door, it would be even harder to let the kid down once his father said Seth wasn't a good role model.

He made his way inside and he saw that Enzo's door was locked. He must've run out of drugs and he was finally sleeping. Enzo would be dead to the world for at least four days until he decided to sell some of his work and spend his earnings on more "inspiration."

Seth was coming up the stairs when he heard someone talking in the hallway. He recognized the first voice as Beth's. She was giggling like she did when she really liked somebody.

The other voice was distinctly male. He sounded intelligent. Seth immediately despised him.

"You should let me know! I'll come by sometime and fix it for you," the male voice sounded low, soft and soothing.

Beth giggled, again. Seth made his footfalls sound a little louder as he scaled the stairwell. He caught sight of Beth once he reached the top step. She was standing outside their apartment in a tank top and a short jean skirt. She was wearing her cowgirl boots and her hair was in a cute ponytail. Her face looked flushed like she had just scrubbed it, but she still looked _so_ _damn_ _beautiful_.

The tall man was standing next to her. Seth had only seen the man's ass when he passed the moving van, earlier. He turned to face him and Seth was put-off by the fact that the man not only had a nice voice, but he was good-looking to boot.

The teen named Max was standing in the door frame of the apartment next to Seth and Beth's. Seth's suspicions were confirmed. They were set to be neighbors.

Max perked up again when he caught sight of Seth. The tall man glanced at Max but said nothing about the sudden change. Beth waved at Seth and told him, "This is Dean Ambrose and his son, Max. They just moved in next door!"

Max nodded a hello at him. Dean smiled and leaned forward a bit while he gauged Seth the same way a cop tried to read a suspect. Seth had seen that kind of strong probing many times, before. It mostly happened when cops were trying to determine if Seth were an accomplice to his brother Randy's many illegal activities. Seth easily determined that Dean must be a lawman.

"Dean used to work as a deputy! It's so amazing, the stories he has to tell!" Beth was practically glowing as she spoke.

Seth side-stepped his way to the far side of the hall. He slowly made his way down to stand beside Beth while he studied Dean with careful consideration.

"A former cop, huh?" was all Seth could think to say.

"Yup, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna try and bust everyone all the time. I'm retired," Dean stated.

Seth noticed the way that Dean stood with his hands on his hips like a cop would. Even as he said he wouldn't be putting any heat on people, Seth's instincts told him Dean was only saying that to make them feel more comfortable. In reality, he looked so well trained by his precinct that he unconsciously held on to the mannerisms, meaning he had retained a lot more than he wanted others to know about. Seth made a mental note that Dean may come back on him if he finds out Randy's a convict. There was also the Enzo situation downstairs. One look at the artist screaming about dead people in his room and the whole place would be raided.

"I should let you two go," Dean nodded and turned to leave.

It was almost like he had read Seth's mind and he knew his attempt to make things comfortable had failed. Dean was on his way back to Max when Beth called to them, "Why don't you stop by for breakfast in a few? Seth makes a mean set of pancakes!"

"Pancakes!" Max shouted eagerly.

Seth shot Beth a hard stare. She frowned like she didn't understand why he was so upset. Dean watched them with his hands still on his hips as he said, "I think we'll pass this time."

"No, please! I was helpin' you unpack, remember? I know you don't have your kitchen set up! You should have somethin' to eat!" Beth stated.

Seth's eyes widened at the mention of her helping unpack. His eyes narrowed again when he realized that Dean had probably been watching Beth bend over repeatedly to open boxes and gather things to hold against her chest. _Asshole_.

"We'll just get some take out," Dean nodded and waved.

"But, Daaaad!" Max wailed.

Dean turned Max around and directed him back into the apartment. Max was still arguing as Dean closed the door behind them. Beth immediately turned her attention on Seth and folded her arms to protest, "What was _that_ all about?"

"Not out here," Seth motioned with his chin that they should go into their own apartment to talk.

"You made me feel like a fool!" Beth stomped her foot and glared at him.

Seth refused to make his argument in the hallway. It was too public for his taste. Beth whirled around on her heel and stormed away from him. She turned back to flip him off and she shut the door to the apartment before he could step inside. He waited a few seconds before he opened the door and slowly came inside. He could see Beth heading to her room and she slammed that door when she got there.

He didn't know how to tell her he was jealous. It sounded all kinds of stupid.


	6. A Lonely Man

**Six: A Lonely Man**

Dean Ambrose was a dedicated father. At least, that's what he always told himself.

Splitting from Charlotte was ugly. People say it takes up to two years to finalize the divorce, but it takes ten years to get over it. Dean felt like it had taken a _lifetime_.

Max had just turned ten when Charlotte found out she was pregnant, again. She wanted a girl so badly that there was no surprise when the doctor announced it would be. The pregnancy was a normal one, at least until the six-month mark when Charlotte told Dean one rainy evening that she wanted a divorce.

He never saw it coming.

Dean had tried his best to persuade Charlotte to stay. He made all the promises a desperate father would. He said he'd work less and help more with the baby. He said he'd find a way to get a desk job so the kids didn't have to worry about Daddy getting shot on the job. He talked about moving closer to Charlotte's cousin in Alabama to get additional help. No matter what he said, Charlotte remained unconvinced. Dean did not want his son and daughter to grow up living between four parents and two houses; all that comes from being children of divorce.

Their daughter, Mina, was born on a sweltering day in July. She was delivered through C-Section, same as Max. She weighed seven pounds even and she had all ten fingers and toes.

She never showed signs of life.

The doctors told Dean many times that it was probably a heart valve problem. He still found himself silently blaming Charlotte, believing that all her talk of divorce and all the stress she was putting herself through caused their daughter to lose all hope of survival. It was a wicked thing to do, yet he could not bring himself to understand that a physical problem would've gone missed for three trimesters and so many tests.

Charlotte stayed another four months. There wasn't much talk between them. Dean received some advice from a co-worker about taking couples therapy. Charlotte went to the first two sessions. She seemed to be trying to make an effort to get through Mina's death. A few days before she left, Dean even started to have some hope that they might rekindle the spark they once had.

The night before she left, Charlotte gave Dean the best sex he'd ever had.

He knew when he got up the next morning that she was really gone. There were no signs of luggage. Most of her things were still strewn around the house. The only sign that she had not been spirited away by some otherworldly force was a long handwritten letter for Max.

It was as if she never were. Max was furious. He blamed Dean for sending his mother away. Charlotte had left her cell phone behind but she began texting Max a few months later. It felt like some kind of manipulative form of proof of life. Dean didn't know whether to be furious or relieved.

The divorce papers came through the mail. Dean remembered the postman bringing it to the door because it looked official. Dean actually thought he had won something until he opened it. He was home alone at the time. He cried at the kitchen table.

A little over two years passed before everything was finalized. Max was going on thirteen and he had been given the perfect reason to start his teenage rebellion stage early. He was constantly making friends with the wrong people and the school in their home town was threatening to expel him. Dean was getting tired. His partner and longtime friend, Bobby Roode, had moved to Atlanta a year earlier. Dean's parents had long since passed and it seemed like there was nothing holding them, anymore.

Dean had little left after paying the divorce lawyer, but he was given the opportunity to retire early with full pension. He and Max packed up the house. It was the first time Dean had to go through all of Charlotte's things. He wanted to burn their wedding album. He gave it to a neighbor who cut up pictures for art projects. A part of him felt a sense of justice that he was using Charlotte's leftovers to give back to the community.

The cheapest place Dean could find in Atlanta was an apartment complex outside of downtown. It was what most would consider in a shady area due to the fact that there were several strip clubs and porn studios nearby. Dean had some connections with Atlanta P.D. He considered himself aware enough to keep Max safe and out of trouble.

Dean was most worried about Max getting used to the city life. It wasn't the same type of hospitality as back home. It may even be a step in the wrong direction if Max didn't clean up his act.

They left in the moving truck on a bright summer morning. The sky had turned a shade of rainy gray by the time they pulled up to the complex. The first person Dean saw was a beautiful woman coming down the front steps with long dark hair. She was wearing a faded floral sundress and she had a beauty about her that was hard to put into words. Her head was down and she hardly noticed her surroundings until Dean stepped out of the truck and managed to startle her enough to look at him.

Dean gave her a quick wave as he came around to the back of the truck. She stared at him a long while before lifting a hand to wave back. She glowed when she smiled. Once her smile faded, the sadness in her eyes returned. Dean opened the back of the truck and walked over to introduce himself. The woman flinched when he held out his hand to her.

"Eva. Eva Marie," she was polite despite her quiet movements.

"That's my son, Max," Dean motioned to the truck.

Max made a short wave but seemed generally disinterested.

"I have..." Eva changed her mind and said simply, "I think you'll like it, here. Lots of friendly faces. Mostly small town folks. It's like living in the country, really."

Dean liked the sound of that. He grinned and Eva relaxed her shoulders slightly. She waved a proper good-bye to Max and told Dean as she turned to leave, "I'm off to the store. Do you need anything?"

"I think we're good for now. Thank you, though," He nodded to her.

She smiled once more before disappearing down the street. Dean saw a lot of potential in Eva, as well as signs that she was a victim of domestic violence. He never quite understood why someone was willing to take on the abuse of another with no sense of self-preservation. He thought of his relationship with Charlotte and he realized how hypocritical he was being.

"Daaaaad!" Max groaned as he hopped out of the van.

Max made an effort to appear as downtrodden and tired as possible. Between the two of them, they had managed to get moved out without a hitch, but it became clear to Dean that Max was reserving his angst-ridden fits for the move-in process. Dean made a frustrated sigh and climbed into the back of the van.

The depreciation of Max's well-being went on for a while. He feigned illness. He collapsed on the pavement and refused to move. He used long, dragged out words to express his disdain for heavy lifting. Dean ignored it and kept handing Max boxes. Max would disappear out of the back of the van for a while, only to reappear with more criticism and threats of notifying social services that he was being forced to work under duress. It didn't take long for Dean to notice that Max wasn't taking the boxes all the way up to the second floor of the complex.

Dean lifted a heavy lounger as an excuse to leave the van. Max was quick to get in his way. Dean put the lounger down and glanced outside the truck. Their boxes and furniture were piled into a lazy stack on the street. Just about anyone could walk by and take what they wanted.

An argument ensued about moving the boxes. Max whined and pouted and kicked the boxes down. Dean threatened to ground him and Max used some slang words that probably meant something foul. They were still bickering when Max lamely picked up a box and carried it inside the apartment. Dean was certain Max would hide the box somewhere in the building out of spite. He hoped it hadn't contained anything important.

When he came back, Max was in silent mode. He refused to take anymore boxes inside and he wasn't about to help with the heavy stuff. Dean considered calling up Bobby to come and help him, but he decided against it when he realized that Bobby had no idea they'd moved to Atlanta and asking someone out of the blue to help move a bunch of shit on short notice wasn't much of a welcome.

Max sat longways on the stack of boxes still left by the van. He almost fell over twice. Dean could hear Max groaning like a dying man from time to time to get his attention. The boxes Max were sitting on would probably be crushed in no time. Dean glanced outside the van a few times to make sure none of the boxes were marked as fragile. Max thought it was a sign Dean was responding to him and he tried even harder to make his disdain known.

Dean was leaning over some boxes inside the van and trying to ignore his son's complaints when he sensed someone pass by. Dean was still hunched over as he turned his head to one-side and caught the upside-down figure of a biker getting onto a motorcycle. The biker had long dark hair that fell like a thick sheet of rain around his face. His arms showed promise but the rest of him appeared too lean to be the macho type. His looked seemed more suited for swimming or motor-cross rather than motorcycling.

"I'm Max," Dean heard his son tell the biker.

The biker nodded back at Max and his expression was kinder than Dean anticipated. He had met his share of bikers during his time in the field and they were usually stand-offish or downright abusive towards anyone who wasn't a part of their inner workings. Dean stood up straight to get a better look. The biker only shot him a quick glance before he blazed down the street in a long cycle of loud engine noise.

Dean wondered if the biker had come from their apartment complex. Max almost immediately jumped into the van and broke Dean's train of thought. Max started grabbing boxes and moving them out like his life depended on it. His son's sudden interest in getting the job done made Dean completely certain that the biker had come from the apartments. Dean made a long sigh and rolled his eyes.

They had moved to _get away_ from bad influences.

:-:

Max was running up and down the stairs, delivering boxes to their new apartment while besting his old man. Dean kept waiting for the inevitable trip-and-fall, but Max was determined to defy gravity. They were over halfway done when Dean started to get tired. He sat down on the top step just a few yards from their new place while Max continued to breeze past him in a flurry of footfalls and sour smelling sweat.

Dean couldn't remember the last time he had that kind of energy. Probably in high school. He closed his eyes to ponder the silence whenever Max made it outside. Dean heard a door open behind him and he let his eyes flutter open and he turned around to introduce himself and apologize for the noise.

He found himself being blinded by a _**Sunrise**_.

That was the first word that came to mind when he saw her. A blonde with lagoon-blue eyes as wide as the headlights on a '57 _Bel Air_. She was wearing a tank top and tattered jean shorts. What set her apart were the worn cowgirl boots and vintage pearl earrings that showed her small-town side.

"Need some help?" she asked softly, her Southern accent obvious as she ran her hand through her pony tail and waited for a positive response.

"My son's picked up most of the work," Dean motioned to the front door.

As if on cue, Max burst through the door and rushed up the stairs. He caught sight of _Sunrise_ and stumbled on the last two steps, nearly dropping the box marked KITCHEN onto the thinly carpeted concrete floor. The box still made a crashing sound as its insides were jostled. _Sunrise_ put her hands over her ears and made a face. Max blushed ten shades of red and turned to rush back outside.

"I'm Dean Ambrose, and the one hightailing it out the door's my son, Max," Dean stood up to shake the beautiful blonde's hand.

"I'm Beth Harold. I live right next door," she shook his hand and pointed back to the apartment with her thumb.

Her touch was soft and warm. There was an instant attraction between them, despite what appeared to be a ten-plus year age difference. Dean had never noticed the depth of his own loneliness until that moment. He hadn't dated or spent any real time with a woman since Charlotte. The thought of dating during the divorce seemed daunting. He was suddenly aware that he was now a single man. This idea made Dean feel sick inside.

"You live alone?" he found himself inquiring.

She shook her head and replied, "No, sir, I live with Seth Rollins. He's just a few minutes out. We both work evenings and night shifts."

Dean was reminded of the man on the motorcycle. He was the only man Dean had seen leave the building, which meant he was very likely the _Seth Rollins_ that Beth was referring to.

Max shrieked from the front door, "He's got a motorcycle!"

Dean turned to face him. Max had been listening long enough to pick up Seth's name, but the shrieking had broken his teenage vocal cords and it came out sounding more like a desperate girl than a young man. Max turned red again and rushed back outside. He'd left the box he was carrying just inside the door.

"You work nearby?" Dean asked as he started down the stairs to fetch the box.

 _Sunrise_ followed him. He lifted the box and she offered to take it. Dean shook his head and started back up the stairs. She still hadn't answered his question, so he told her some of his own background, "I was a deputy back home. I'm retired, now."

"Retired?! You don't look a day over thirty-five," she replied kindly.

"I'm actually pushing seventy, but I take a lot of herbs," Dean joked dryly.

Beth put her hand over her mouth when she giggled. She made a sound like bells. Dean felt something like nostalgia when he heard it.

"I'd really like to help. I've got nothin' else to do," she said.

Dean opened the door to his apartment and put the box down inside. Beth checked its label before picking it up and asking him where he wanted it. He was grateful for the help, but he also didn't want Beth getting hurt trying to help him get settled. He made sure to keep her away from the heavy stuff. Moving got a lot easier with three pairs of hands instead of two.

:-:

Despite his best efforts, Max kept making a fool of himself the rest of the evening. He crashed around seven in the evening on the love seat that Beth had helped bring in. Dean had tried to keep her on light box duty, but she was insistent on helping with some of the furniture and she proved able to hold her own.

"I was a rodeo queen," she muttered when Dean told her he and Max could move the love seat, themselves.

Dean never caught sight of Eva, again. He was also curious about when Seth Rollins would be back. He wanted to meet the man Max was destined to follow around. Beth shared a few stories but said nothing about the status of their relationship. _Boyfriend_? _Potential husband_? She shared no news of pending marriage. Her interest in Seth went deeper than friendship by the way she talked about him, but it became clear from her body language that she was unsure about his own interests. Dean assumed a guy who showed such little interest was either gay or badly damaged.

Beth seemed sweet and honest. She was like the women Dean had grown up with and lived next door to his whole life. She smelled like cinnamon and her giggle made him smile. She brushed off her apple-shaped breasts every time she got them dusty from hugging a box close to her. Her boots clicked whenever she walked across the laminate flooring. The clicks echoed when she went down the hallway to one of the bedrooms.

Dean took the moving van back to the lot to avoid paying a fee to keep it another day. Beth rode with him. They took the bus back to the apartment complex. Beth walked Dean to a corner grocery store to pick up some breakfast for the next morning. Their trip was mostly silent, yet somehow filled with words. _They were like old friends._

He sat down next to Max on the love seat while Beth opened a few boxes marked KITCHEN and sorted some appliances and loose ends. Dean was grateful. Most of the kitchen items were bought by Charlotte and he had only kept them out of habit.

Beth had managed to find the coffee maker and poured some fresh brew. She handed Dean a doughnut and she took a seat in the recliner while she chowed down on a raspberry filled one for herself. She was the kind of girl who wasn't afraid to ingest some good ole' fashioned processed sugar. Dean admired that.

She asked about his time as a deputy. He tried to spit out a few interesting stories without completely shocking the crap out of her. She seemed to enjoy every one, laughing and talking quietly while Max slept nearby.

Max rose up at some point and wandered like an aimless zombie towards the doughnuts. He shoved three in his mouth in less than a minute and sucked down a can of defrosted orange juice that hadn't yet been processed with water. Dean cringed while he witnessed it. Beth giggled.

"You're still here?!" Max asked Beth a little too harshly.

She glanced uneasily at Dean. It was late and Max's voice made it sound like she had overstayed her welcome. Max cleared his throat and tried to correct himself, "I mean, it's fine that you're still here, I just...I'm surprised 'cause it's late and all...I guess...I don't..."

Max bailed on words and made a quick wave before disappearing down the hall. He barricaded himself in the bathroom and Dean heard the shower running. _Maybe Max would take more showers now that Sunrise was around._

She told him about her time on the farm. She talked a little bit about her mother dying of breast cancer when Dean asked about her parents. He wished he hadn't. She faded for a while.

"I really should go. Seth'll be home soon," Beth told him.

Dean got up and followed her out into the hallway. Max was still somewhere deep inside the apartment. Dean felt somewhat like an escort as he wandered behind Beth on her way to her own place. He felt the desire to spend more time with her.

He _ached_ for it.

"I wanna tell you somethin'," she said seriously.

Dean braced himself for a problem. _Could he fix it_? He wasn't yet sure.

"I'm a stripper. That's what I do," she confessed.

 _Sunrise_ was suddenly lost from his mind. She was replaced by a naked version wearing only a pair of cowgirl boots swinging on a pole in front of men who didn't deserve her. Dean wasn't sure quite how to react. He had no real judgment towards strippers, though he had more than enough to say about how often they were mistreated and robbed by pimps and male managers. He wondered how Beth's manager treated _her_.

"Look, you can go an' call all your friends to arrest me or somethin', but I ain't gonna lie about what I do to you or anybody else," she meant it to sound like conviction, but it came out sounding more like a swan song.

"I'll be honest, I don't know what to say," Dean shook his head.

He saw her frown and added, "But I won't be calling anybody to arrest you for that."

She acted relieved to hear it, like she was certain he would not take her side.

Dean searched for the right words to say, "You let me know if you run into any trouble. I can stop by and..."

Beth giggled and asked, "You gonna tell 'im you're a cop and he's about to get his ass thrown in jail?"

She seemed to have someone in mind. Dean chuckled at how ridiculous he was coming across. He really wanted to help her if she needed it, but he was coming out sounding like a disgruntled father with too much time on his hands.

"Daaaaaaad! I can't find my video games!" Max yelled from somewhere inside their apartment.

Beth laughed and Dean called back over his shoulder, "I gave it to charity, along with everything else you have to plug into a car or the wall."

"DAAAAAAAAAAAD!" Max wailed back at him.

"Please excuse my son. He thinks he's being cute," Dean apologized to Beth.

She just giggled and shook her head, replying softly, "My brother, Jimmy's the same way, an' he's older than me!"

Dean was still smiling when he heard the door to the apartment complex open and the biker from earlier came barreling up the stairs. The one called Seth Rollins was giving off a fiercely protective vibe, making it clear to Dean that _Sunrise_ was already _**claimed**_.

Whether Dean were truly considering Beth for himself or not, so long as Seth was around, Dean would never be between those slender legs.

:-:

 _He started kissing Beth in the hallway. He heard her respond with a light moan of pleasure. She took him by the wrist and led him to her room. She closed the door and took him straight to bed._

 _He reached for her tank top. It was dirty from all the work she had been doing. He imagined her hesitating and saying something like, "Maybe I should shower, first."_

" _I don't mind," would be his answer. He really wouldn't._

 _She straddled him in bed_. _He could feel her body trembling on top of him_. _He liked to think that she hadn't been with many men before him_. _He liked to think that she'd be learning right along with him._ _He wanted to think that she was satisfied with his body. He wanted to think she was satisfied with the size of his cock._

 _He saw her as a sweetheart, even in the throes of passion. She'd grasp his shoulders and weave her fingers through his dark hair like she wanted to hold on but couldn't. She'd moan and whimper and make him put his hand over her mouth so no one would overhear them. She'd enjoy the feeling of having her breasts squeezed and massaged and tasted. She'd buck a little when he pressed his thumbs against her hips. She'd call out his name in a fit of frustration and wanting when he'd guide her off of him just long enough to roll her over onto her back so he could take over._

" _Please, please," she'd beg him to continue._

 _He'd wait until she could hardly stand it, anymore. She'd be kicking her feet against his calves and lifting her hips to urge him back in. He'd taste a finger and tease her with it a while. She'd enjoy it, but not as much as she enjoyed his_ _ **cock**_ _._

Seth's eyes shot open as he sat up in his own bed. Beth had long since gone to work. Seth was caked in sweat. His arousal level was so close to climax that he could almost feel it. His erection was painful and it urged him to rub himself free using the images from his dream.

He refused himself the satisfaction, his thought process turning from one of _need_ to one of _guilt_ as he recognized he was imagining performing things on Beth's body without her consent. He lay in his bed, still as the night, until his erection faded and he was no longer motivated by animal instincts.

The dreams had become more graphic in recent weeks. Seth was well aware of that, yet he didn't want to admit why. As long as Beth continued to intrude upon his dreams, it was only a matter of time before he woke up next to her with a stiff shaft or stained boxers. Would she kick him out of her bed? Would she pull him closer to her? Seth couldn't decide which scenario was worse.

Whether she reacted with passion or disgust, Seth had no clue how to process it.


	7. Walking in Her Sleep

**Seven: Walking in Her Sleep**

Seth slept in his own room. He kept the door open in case Beth started sleepwalking. She never left her room.

He decided not to make pancakes this time. Beth was so angry that he wouldn't make them for Max and Dean and he didn't want to make things worse. He made them some coffee, instead. Beth took a seat at the kitchen table and drank in silence while she jotted something down on a notepad. Seth pondered her for a while.

"Are you writing a song?" he asked just to hear her voice, again.

She smiled like she was pleased that he noticed. She tapped the notepad with her pencil and replied, "I wanna ask Goldust if I can sing it, tonight."

"I don' think he'd have a problem with that," Seth surmised.

Beth made a slight frown and asked, "You don't think it's stupid? I mean, I know I ain't on Broadway, but...I just thought it'd be nice to sing somethin' softer at the end of my shift, you know? That way the guys don't get so riled up."

Seth nodded and Beth went on, "I'd like to do somethin' different. Like, have the stage be dark as night, and then have a light shine on me all of the sudden like I appeared from nowhere, like...like an _angel_."

The image in his mind made Seth warm inside. Beth added more quietly, "I'd like to sing in the nude, you know? But not tasteless, just...like, no makeup and my hair down and...real natural."

Seth didn't quite like the idea of Beth being admired more for her body than for her voice, but he knew that it was part of her job. Seth was also never one to tell a woman what to do.

"You think I could do it?" Beth asked.

Seth nodded without hesitation. Beth's cheeks flushed like she was almost embarrassed by his confidence in her ideas. He asked softly, "Mind if I come and watch?"

Beth blinked with surprise and replied, "I thought you didn't like my singin'!"

Seth made a wry smile and teased, "I'll just come for the nude part."

Beth laughed out loud. Seth liked her best when she was feeling good. He wanted _more of this_.

:-:

Finn knew that his best friend, Seth Rollins, was very much in love.

Seth wasn't completely aware of it, yet. While they both worked at the slaughterhouse, Finn used conversation to pass the time. Seth was one of the least talkative people he'd ever met. After probing for a while to find some common ground, Finn discovered that all he had to do to get Seth to speak was ask about Beth.

Seth liked to talk about her. She seemed to pique Seth's interest and she kept him on his toes. She sounded like the perfect girl for him, but Finn understood that Seth was struggling to take the relationship to another level.

From what Seth had mentioned about his upbringing, Finn had pieced together that Rollins had never known _**love**_ without _**pain**_. Beth represented the innocence he lost a long time ago. Being with her meant that Seth would have to face some of his own issues. Sometimes that was enough to scare a man off.

After Seth had told him about the kiss, Finn had faith that things would work out, but when Seth arrived the next night on a mission to finish up early, Finn wondered if something had gone terribly wrong.

"You wanna tell me why yer headin' outta here saw fast?" Finn asked when their shift was over and Seth was practically racing to get to his bike.

"Beth is singing at the club. Told her I'd be there," Seth answered.

Finn nodded that he understood. He didn't let it show that he was really glad to hear Seth and Beth still had potential.

"You wanna come along?" Seth asked almost as an afterthought.

Finn scoffed and replied, "Are you off yer kilt? Don't cha know lassies can't refuse me? It'd be downright cruel when Lady Beth falls hard an' fast fur me an' I haveta punch ya in the gob."

Seth rolled his eyes. Finn took it as a challenge.

"Don't believe me? Yew'll see, lad! Yer sweet Bethy'll be all over me by night's end!"

Finn mounted his own bike. Seth took off first and left him in a cloud of dust. Finn laughed and chased him down the road. The club wasn't too far away. Finn continued to prod Seth all the way into the club. Finn immediately headed to a booth on the far side where he wouldn't be well seen but he could observe the rest of the lounge with ease. Finn put a hand on Seth's shoulder and redirected him front and center to the table just a few feet from the stage.

There were already some guys sitting at the table. Finn shouted random things at them in Gaelic, a language that sounded like speaking in tongues to a bunch of Southern half-wits. They moved aside and Finn made sure that Seth sat directly in view of the microphone where Beth would be singing.

Seth slumped in his seat and folded his arms. The stage was dark and there was no sign of Beth. The lounge had filled with dozens of men making as much noise as they could to get the show started. The majority of them were right behind Seth and Finn. Seth kept glancing back over his shoulder like he was under attack.

Finn searched for some kind of distraction. He saw a waitress at the bar and waved her over. She was a small framed woman with a strong set of curves and an even stronger smile. She beamed when she caught sight of Seth and she was friendly as she asked, "You boys want anything to drink?"

"Ya got warm beer, darlin'?" Finn asked while wearing a charming grin.

She nodded liked she knew exactly what brand he'd like. Finn was _impressed_.

"Mmm...jus' beer," Seth mumbled.

She nodded and left. When she returned with their drinks, Finn was satisfied by her brand choice. She handed Seth a beer and said, "Beth'll be glad you're here."

"Yew knaw this sourpuss?" Finn asked her, motioning to Seth with his chin.

Seth ignored him. She told Finn with a chuckle, "My name's Bayley. Beth and I are good friends."

He took her hand and kissed it. She chuckled, again. Her accent didn't sound Georgian but it was close enough to heaven that Finn didn't mind it.

"I'm not from around here," she answered like she had read his mind.

"Boston-Irish," he replied about himself with a wink.

"I noticed," she took her hand back.

Finn glanced at Seth. He looked like he was going to shoot out of his seat at any second. Bayley started talking to ease the tension, "Beth's really excited about the song she wrote."

"Goldust gave the okay?" Seth asked like he thought he'd have to step in to make it happen.

Bayley nodded and replied, "She sang a little backstage. We all loved it except Charlotte, but she doesn't like anything."

Seth opened his mouth to argue something but he stopped short. Finn glanced at the stage just as a spotlight turned on and Beth appeared in the center as if she'd been there the whole time. She was wearing a black lace bra that was see-through in the spotlight. She was also wearing black lace panties with straps that sank down to a pair of black pantyhose like a 19th Century gettup. She appeared clothed and nude at the same time. She wore no heels. Her hair as put up but she fashioned it to come down around her shoulders so she'd look more natural. She only wore eyeliner. She was _raw_ and _beautiful_. The men in the lounge cheered.

"Thank you," Beth giggled, then her eyes fell on Seth.

Her green irises twinkled with tears. She was overwhelmed by his presence. Finn could see it as well as _feel_ it.

"Beth? You ready?" came a voice from stage left.

Finn hadn't realized until that moment that there was also another woman on the stage. She was sitting at a piano mostly shrouded in darkness. Beth nodded to the woman and said, "Go ahead, Sasha."

The men quieted down. The pianist played a soft melody. Beth glanced around and smiled. Her focus went back to Seth.

 _I put your picture_

 _in my windowsill_

 _The sun shines on you_

 _and I remember still_

 _Oh, how much do I mean to you?_

 _I hope it's as much as you mean to me_

 _When I'm lookin' out that window_

 _I feel you holdin' on to me_

Seth had told Finn a lot about Beth. Finn knew how much Seth loved her. Finn was aware that Beth had feelings for Seth, too, but it wasn't entirely clear how strong they were until now.

The song was about _**Seth**_. She was singing it to him like he was the only man in the room.

When she finished, the tenderness between her and Seth was interrupted by the cheers of the several dozen men they had momentarily forgotten about. Beth bowed a few times and smiled broadly. Bayley clapped for Beth. Finn whistled loudly. Beth giggled and waved at him. Finn closed his eyes and said, "Ah, what a beauty! And those Irish-green eyes...though I'd prefer her hair red as bonfire."

"I'm a sucker for redheads, too," Bayley commented.

Finn opened his eyes and stared at her. She shot him a flirtatious smile and left to go back to the bar. He knew he would be pursuing her before he left this place.

He turned his attention to Seth. Finn expected some sort of peace in his friend after Beth's heartfelt song. There was only a strange expression on Rollins' face. Finn didn't know what it meant.

:-:

Seth knew the song was about him. He didn't have time to process what that meant.

Beth was waving to the men behind him when her expression changed from happiness to terror. It was merely a second or two before she went back to showing happiness, again. No one picked up on the change.

But Seth noticed.

She was frightened by someone in the audience. Seth's gut told him it was serious. He decided not to turn around just yet so he didn't appear too obvious. He kept his gaze on Beth until she left the stage. He watched Sasha stand up from the piano bench. Sasha took her time stepping carefully around the piano before she made her exit. Some of the men were still calling for Beth to come back. Seth took the opportunity to turn around.

He only needed a few seconds to find the problem. He spotted a man sitting at the bar away from everyone else. He was wearing military combat boots and commando jeans. His faded brown t-shirt showcased his physical strength. The man had an expression so devoid that he could've passed for a machine save for his very human ice-blue eyes.

The man knew he was being watched almost immediately. He turned his head and locked eyes with Seth. Though they had never met, before, the man cocked his head to one-side as if trying to determine a factor of familiarity.

Seth wondered if the man knew his criminal brother, _Randy_.

"Oi," Finn whispered.

Seth turned to look at Finn. When he looked back, the man at the bar was gone.

"Trouble?" Finn asked.

"I think so," Seth answered.


	8. Release

**Eight: Release**

"Seth?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you love me?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think I'm pretty?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"Do you like seein' my body?"

"Mmmm."

Beth rolled over in bed so she could face him. A few rays from the sun were peeking through the window from behind the room darkening curtains. She could just make out Seth's face. He was chewing his lower lip and he was pondering her like they were the only two people in all the world.

"Do you think about makin' love to me?"

He blinked slowly but didn't answer her.

"Do you just wanna fuck me, instead?"

He shook his head and stated strongly, "No."

"It don't have to mean nothin' if you don't want it to," she hated that it sounded so desperate out loud.

"That's not how it should be," Seth said.

Beth gazed at him for a short while in silence so she could muster up the courage to ask, "Is there somethin' I can do? Somethin' you like? To turn you on?"

Seth's brow furrowed in confusion.

"I mean, I dunno what you like, but...if you wanna tie me up or somethin', I mean, if that'll help...I trust you."

Seth's eyes widened with a mix of shock and horror. It seemed the idea hadn't crossed his mind. He shook his head and argued, "I don't wanna hurt you."

"Well, there are ways you can...restrain somebody without really hurtin' 'em. It's like, a game, or somethin'."

"I don't see how tying you up would be fun for you," Seth sounded disturbed by the very idea.

Beth considered another idea that was a little less shocking, "I could dress up. You like somethin' in particular? I could use one o' my dresses from the club or we could stop by the costume shop."

Seth's concern had lessened a bit but he still seemed uneasy by all the things one could use to initiate sexual contact. His eyes shifted in their sockets while his mind came up with dozens of visuals that caused his face to twist with fear, surprise, confusion and misunderstanding. It became too overwhelming and he abandoned them all, going back to a neutral expression as he asked thickly, "What is it that you like?"

Beth pursed her lips together. She'd had a few flings but Jimmy was the only one who'd been a real boyfriend to her. They dated in high school and he was the typical seventeen-year-old with raging hormones. They'd make out for fifteen seconds, he'd beg to stick it in, claiming his balls would fall off if he didn't and he'd last all of about a bull ride at eight seconds. She did have to give him credit for trying, afterwards. He'd finger her or use the vibrator her friends bought her as a Christmas gag so she wasn't completely left out. Beth had no idea until years later that guys could last longer than a minute and girls did have the ability to orgasm _during_ the act.

"I dunno, I guess I like bein' kissed," Beth surmised.

She felt a little embarrassed that she couldn't come up with something more amazing to do. Seth sighed like he was grateful she had kept it simple and he leaned in to press his lips to her own.

He tasted like something bitter and sweet. It reminded Beth of when she was a little girl and she used to pick the dandelions on the front lawn at the farm. One time, she decided she wanted to know if the dandy-yellows tasted as good as they smelled. She put one in her mouth and chewed. It wasn't totally unpleasant, but definitely nothing like the _aroma_.

She felt Seth sit up on his elbow so he could kiss her, better. He placed his left hand on her hip and she made a small hum to let him know that she liked it. They kissed for a good while before Seth removed his hand from her hip and Beth felt butterflies in her stomach as she anticipated what he might do, next.

Seth glided his fingers through her blond hair and brushed it around her head as a makeshift halo. She didn't know exactly why he was doing it and he almost seemed more focused on the halo effect than he was on kissing her. When he deemed it finished, he took a handful of hair and twisted it around his fist. He pulled just strongly enough to make Beth tilt her head back so he could kiss along her jawline.

He was only slightly restricting her and he seemed to know just how to expose her throat without making the angle too uncomfortable. Beth clasped her hand around his fist and she liked feeling her soft tangles of hair tightened between his fingers. She placed her other hand loosely against his shoulder. He was too busy kissing down her neck to notice. Beth dared to reach her hand around the back of his neck so she could grasp a bit of his hair. He tensed up. She loosened her grip and brushed her fingernails along his scalp. He went back to kissing her.

Seth let go of her hair and took hold of the straps of her tank top. Beth thought he was going to take it off but instead he moved the straps halfway down her arms. Only the tops of her breasts were exposed and they plumped out like in a renaissance dress. Seth grunted like seeing the plump was better than seeing the whole thing and he left a flurry of kisses across her chest.

Beth was quickly overwhelmed by such constant attention. She hadn't been with a man in almost two years and she had forgotten how good it felt to be touched. The words _tender lover_ came to mind. It sounded horribly lame and Beth swore to herself she would never utter the words out loud to describe Seth, but they were as true as could be.

She _wanted_ this. She _**needed**_ this. She was ready but Seth hadn't even begun to remove his clothes, let alone hers. Beth was starting to get anxious for more. She reached up and grabbed his t-shirt so she could get it over his head. All the work at the slaughterhouse had given his arms an impressive bulk and Beth was excited to see what wonders it had done for the rest of his body.

In the heat of the moment, Beth had forgotten what Seth Rollins was like. This was a man who treated hugging like it was some sort of barbaric ritual. The same man who assessed every exit before entering a room full of people. Once she had even witnessed him dive out of the way to avoid a man asking if he would like to sample some cologne.

Her sudden movements startled him and Seth shifted into survival mode. He shot up and arched his back like a cat to get away from her grasp. He instinctively took her wrists and pinned them down against the bed. His eyes were like stone as he stared at her so intensely that she was forced to look away.

The little bit of sunlight in the room was enough for Beth to see exactly why Seth reacted the way he did. His t-shirt had mostly fallen back down, but she could still see an exposed area of skin on his left side. She had a view of his lower ribs, around his hip bone and along one side of his abs.

There were scars. Dozens of them. All shapes and sizes. Some were long and tangled and bizarre like a ribbon dance etched in his skin. Others were small and white and perfect like the self-made ones Beth had seen on a dancer at the club who used to take scissors to her inner thighs.

Some resembled cigarette burns. Some looked more like gashes or fighting injuries. There were even a few freckles that made the damage appear almost natural. His body had healed and continued to renew itself despite what had been done to him. It was frightening. It was sad. It was horrifying. It was _**unthinkable**_.

Beth looked up to meet Seth's gaze. He was mad. Stark ravin' mad.

"Don't you pity me!" he shouted, his voice hard.

He let go of her and climbed out of bed. Beth was almost in tears as she sat up and tried to stop him, "Seth, wait!"

He didn't even look back at her. He stormed out the door and slammed it behind him.

:-:

She wanted to tell him that she didn't pity him. She wanted to tell him that she didn't think his scars were ugly and she still loved him all the same. She wanted to tell him to _come back to me._

Beth sat there and waited for what felt like hours. She was certain Seth would storm back in to chew her out or tell her to go fuck herself or do something to vent his anger, but he never showed up. She felt the need to cry, but she refused to shed any tears. She didn't want Seth to walk in and see her crying. He'd think she really was pitying him and he'd probably never forgive her.

When she couldn't stand the silence any longer, Beth slowly got out of bed and went to her closet. She dressed herself in a pair of jean shorts. Her wrists were still sore from where Seth had grabbed them. She put on a white long sleeved top to conceal herself, better. Beth was reminded of the battered wife named Eva who lived downstairs. Eva was always wearing layers of clothes to hide her bruises.

But Beth knew Seth wasn't like that. This wasn't the start of a pattern where he'd hurt her and beg forgiveness later with a dozen roses and a thousand lies. He wouldn't be calling out for her on his knees sobbing like a child for all to see like Eva's husband did. Seth was nothing like him and Beth was so glad for that.

She covered herself up the best she could and put on an old pair of sneakers. She wanted to feel as comfortable as possible. Beth went to her door and opened it slowly. She peeked out into the hallway to see if Seth was around.

The door to his room was closed. She wandered out to the kitchen, but he wasn't there, either. Beth left the apartment and quietly closed the door. She stood out in the hallway for a minute to see if Seth would come after her. She didn't hear anything.

Beth walked to the top of the stairwell. She could see the sun shining through the front door of the apartment complex. It looked like a nice day, outside. She considered taking a long walk to clear her mind. She hadn't slept yet at all and she was tired, but she didn't want to go back to her room.

She went to the Dean's apartment and knocked. She hoped they were awake. There was a long silence and Beth thought the better of knocking twice. She turned away and started for the stairs, again.

"Beth?" Dean asked from his door.

She turned around to face him. He didn't look quite awake, but he was dressed in old jeans and a stained t-shirt and he looked like he had been unpacking before she knocked. She almost burst into tears when she saw him.

"You need some help?" she asked so as not to appear lost.

"Sure," Dean held the door open to let her inside.

"Is Max here?" Beth asked when she wandered past him.

"No, he's uh...today was his first day. I sent him on to school. Should be back around four."

Beth nodded but she wasn't really listening. Dean pointed to some boxes in the kitchen and mentioned, "I could use a good eye for sorting this stuff. My wife, she-"

He cleared his throat and changed his tune, "My _ex_ -wife...the kitchen stuff was mostly hers. Honestly, I don't know what most of this shit is even for."

He leaned over a box to check inside and gave Beth a quick glance. He put his hands on his hips and mumbled, "Pardon my French."

"It's okay, I know what _shit_ looks like," Beth smiled.

Dean nodded and quickly went back to work on the TV set in the main area. Beth called to him while she sorted through an open box, "Your ex-wife, was she Max's momma?"

"Yeah. Her name was Charlotte," Dean replied.

Beth felt a sickness deep down in her belly. The only Charlotte she had ever met was the cruel bitch that she worked with at La Termitas. Beth watched Dean work a while until the nausea subsided. She was sure the Charlotte she knew couldn't possibly be Dean's ex-wife. Dean was a sweet guy. His son was an angsty teen but there wasn't a bad bone in Max's body. No way could he be the product of that _Medusa_.

"I know a Charlotte, but she ain't nice at all," Beth mentioned.

Dean sat up to face her and asked curiously, "What does yours look like?"

"Old. Disgusting. A _**haggard**_ sea wench," Beth retorted while she stacked some plates on the counter.

Dean laughed and said, "Sounds lovely."

Beth giggled despite herself. Dean went back to working on the TV and conversation was lost.

:-:

The silence after Max had left that morning was starting to weigh on Dean. His sense of all-consuming loneliness returned and he was doing his best to keep busy and take his mind off it. When there came a knock at the door, Dean thought he had imagined it. He almost didn't check, but he was glad he did.

Beth looked solemn and lost. She was as lonely as he felt when she came in to help him. Dean was grateful for the company. He also knew the kitchen needed a woman's touch. It was like a foreign language trying to figure out what to use and what to put away. Dean had mostly just thrown everything from the kitchen into boxes without even looking at them. As far as he was concerned, cups and plates and some silverware were plenty. He liked his morning coffee, but he still didn't know how to use the fucking fancy machine Charlotte had bought and then left behind.

He was amazed to see how much progress Beth had made once he finished hooking up the TV. She had managed to not only set up Charlotte's coffee maker, but Beth showed Dean exactly how to make the simple brew he liked most in no time at all. She had also found the microwave and toaster, two things that Max would be overjoyed to use for his many snacking needs.

"You know how to do the channel programming? I used to know but these newfangled remotes they...well, they make me feel old and useless," Dean handed Beth the satellite box.

She took out the remote and went to the love seat. Dean followed and sat down next to her. He watched her while she focused on programming the remote. She was wearing a long sleeved shirt that was unseasonably warm for a midday in Georgia. The outside temp was at least a hundred degrees, and the air conditioning in the apartment was only sub-par, making it at least eighty-five inside. Dean chalked it up to the notion that perhaps Beth was one of those girls who always got cold. His police training told him it was something else, but he ignored it. _Prying might scare her off._

Beth got the channels to work and she showed Dean how to bring up the guide. He saw that the game was on. He was about to change to it when he glanced at Beth and thought the better of it.

"Is _Say Yes to the Dress_ on? You know, the Atlanta one?" Beth asked excitedly.

Dean checked the guide. Sure enough, the show was on. He switched to it and realized in about thirty seconds that it was nothing more than a so-called unscripted dramedy series where pretty girls dress up for their respective weddings while their entourage criticizes the heck out of them before magically coming to terms on a final pick. Dean was bored as hell, but watching Beth's reactions to it all gave him reason to tolerate it.

She sat forward through the first two episodes but sleep got the better of her and she laid down for the third. Dean was actually starting to get more into the program the more episodes he watched and it took him a while to notice Beth had fallen asleep. He switched to the game but he kept a close eye on Beth so he could change it back in case she woke up. At one point, her feet stretched out onto his lap. Dean focused on the TV and his mind drifted to somewhere in the past. He forgot that it wasn't his wife sleeping beside him. He idly rubbed her calves like he used to do to Charlotte when she'd fall asleep on the couch while they watched their prime time lineups together.

Beth started to stir a little. Dean returned to the present. He thought she was waking up, so he switched the channel back to the other channel and waited. Beth's feet twitched and she drew her knees up. Dean couldn't help thinking that her movements were odd and jerky. He surmised that maybe she was a deep sleeper and it took her a while to fully wake up.

"Beth?" he asked softly.

She opened her eyes and sat up. Her gaze was different. She was staring off into oblivion despite her body being completely alert. Dean had never seen a sleepwalker up close, before, but he'd heard enough stories around the precinct to get an idea of what one looked like.

"Beth?" he asked again, hoping the sound of his voice would snap her out of it.

She stood up and walked toward the kitchen. She called over her shoulder, "I'll be out in two minutes' time!"

Dean followed her to the kitchen counter where Beth had stacked up a bunch of dishes, earlier. She took one of the plates and handed it to him. He took it from her and set it back down on the counter. Beth handed him a few more plates one at a time, then she took one in her hands and suddenly stopped short.

"What's wrong, Beth?" he asked.

Her expression was calm until he said her name. She made a revolted face like something had made her sick. She smashed the plate against the tile floor and screamed, "MOMMA!"

"Beth!" Dean tried to grab her arms to stop her, but it was too late.

"MOMMA! MOMMA! MOMMA!" she screamed over and over and over, again.

She kept smashing plates against the tile floor. The fragments were flying everywhere and Dean was afraid Beth was going to get hurt. She was screaming so loudly, her voice was straining and about to be lost. He wanted to stop her, but Dean had always been told that you don't ever wake up a sleepwalker.

"Beth! Beth! Beth!" Dean tried to call to her between screams to get her attention.

She didn't hear him. Dean was completely helpless. He had no idea what to do.

Someone was banging on the front door. It took Dean a short while to notice it. He rushed to look out the peephole and see whom it was.

Seth yelled from the other side, "You better open up the goddamn door or I'll kick it down!"

Dean obliged. Seth raced over to Beth and wrapped his arms around her. He held her until she stopped screaming and he whispered her name soothingly and repeatedly to ease her out of her nightmare.

Beth didn't ask what had happened. She didn't cry or make excuses for what she had done. She and Seth looked like they were all too familiar with the issue.

"She's alright? She's not hurt?" Dean asked.

Seth scanned her over in one glance and replied, "She's fine."

"Beth?" Dean asked her directly just to make sure.

"You think I'm lying?" Seth shot back.

Dean put up his hands in defeat and replied softly, "I just wanna hear it from her."

Beth peeked out from behind Seth's arm. She looked exhausted and her _Sunrise_ appeal had almost faded away, completely. It struck Dean to his core.

"I'll pay for the dishes," Beth croaked, her voice barely audible.

"Don't worry about that," Dean said.

Seth was already leading Beth out the door. Seth told Dean just before they left, "You give me a price for what was lost and I'll pay it up."

"I said don't worry about-" Dean was cut off when Seth slammed the door in his face.

:-:

It was after three. This was the time when Beth and Seth usually got up to run errands before work. _All she wanted to do was go back to bed._

She felt more exhausted than usual. Whatever she had been dreaming before Seth brought her out of it was too intense for words. She could remember pieces of it. Something to do with her mother. Her sister, Lana, was in trouble. Something was keeping her from helping Lana. That was all she really knew.

Beth took a seat in the kitchen and Seth brewed them up some coffee. He handed her a cup and she took small sips to calm her nerves. He started to take out ingredients for pancakes but Beth told him, "I don't want none. Just coffee, today."

Seth nodded and started to put the ingredients back. Beth suddenly felt like she couldn't take it anymore and she got up to leave the room.

"I'm gonna go lie down for a bit," she told Seth without looking at him.

She went straight to her room and climbed into bed. She hugged her knees against her chest as she started to cry. Whatever her dream was about, it had stirred up old emotions that had come bubbling to the surface and they could not be ignored.

Beth didn't know how long she was crying. She thought she heard her bedroom door open but she didn't turn to look. She felt the weight of the bed shift as Seth climbed in beside her. Beth wiped her tears away and rolled over to face him.

He reached down and unbuttoned her jeans. He used his middle finger to push down against the zipper latch so it glided open. Beth watched Seth sit up on his knees so he could take her jeans off. He slipped them down to her ankles and removed them along with her sneakers. She still had his boxers on and he tugged those off as well. He left her top on.

Seth only parted her knees slightly, like he was still trying to be a gentleman about the whole thing. Beth wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks and lay still as she could. Seth turned to one side and pushed his way between her legs so she wouldn't have to part her knees much further. He was trying so hard to be decent, like a move too sultry would ruin the idea of _makin' love_.

Beth thought he was coming up to kiss her lips, but Seth linked his arms underneath her and lifted her lower half a bit so he could use his mouth to part her _other_ pair of lips.

A sudden wave of pleasure threatened to overcome her. Beth was startled by the sensation and she instinctively kicked her feet. Her left heel managed to land a good one right against his lower ribs.

Seth made a surprised grunt and looked up. Beth clutched the sheets and breathed, "I'm sorry! Sorry!"

He scoffed and mumbled, "Good God, I was trying to make you feel better."

"You are! It does feel good! It does!" Beth confessed.

Seth made a low chuckle and headed back down. While they were kissing, Beth couldn't remember him using much tongue, but he was showcasing a real talent with it this time. Seth was careful to get the right spot every time, making the pleasure so intense that Beth had to restrain herself from accidentally kicking the shit out of him.

Her voice was so strained that she could only manage to squeak out a few sighs and moans. It sounded nothing like the response she wanted to give, but Seth didn't seem to mind. He even paused for a minute to kiss her inner thighs so Beth could catch her breath. When he returned to her middle, Beth could feel a strong climax coming on.

"Seth!" she gasped, making tight fists against the sheets as her entire body went into spasms.

He rested his head against her stomach so he could feel her _tense_ and _**release**_ , _tense_ and _**release**_. When Beth finally relaxed, Seth sat back on his knees and opened his own jeans.

He left his clothes on. He only pushed his jeans halfway past his thighs. Beth waited until Seth was coming back to her before she dared to look down and catch a glimpse of him. Everything was where it should be. No missing or strange looking parts. He had a full erection. She couldn't see any scars on his groin. Knowing this gave her a sense of _relief_.

Beth was still clutching the sheets when Seth started to push inside of her. Already finding release meant that she was plenty ready to take him once he entered. He didn't keep his gaze on hers for long, but buried his head against her shoulder to avoid the eye contact that made him so uncomfortable no matter what the circumstance.

His thrusts were slow and deliberate. He was acting somewhat on natural instinct as well as a method of touch-and-go. Beth wondered how many girls Seth had been with before her. She didn't believe he was a virgin, but she could believe he had been too drunk to remember whatever encounters he did have. He wasn't unsure of himself like a first timer would be. He just seemed more curious and contemplative than what Beth considered most men to be like.

She wanted to let go of the sheets and put her hands on him, but she had no idea how he'd react. She was grateful when he took her hands with his and guided her down to put them on his lower back. His t-shirt had bunched up enough that she could feel his skin and touch the protrusions of his spine without having to take anything away. There weren't as many scars there, but she could still feel some _ribbons_ inside her palms.

Beth felt Seth tensing up as he neared his own climax. They hadn't been going on very long. She wondered if this was why he went down on her, first. Seth only managed a couple more thrusts before he groaned and released. Beth felt his _consequence_ spill out inside of her. He was still working himself out when Beth decided to reach down and feel his backside.

There were a few scars, there. More like grooves, like someone had taken to Seth with an uneven paddle or a belt buckle. It made Beth feel hatred for the person who did this.

Seth had stopped moving. Beth slowly took her hands away and brought them to her chest. Seth lifted his head and she braced herself for another angry outburst.

Only this time, he wasn't angry. He looked more sad than anything.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, earlier," Seth tugged at her long sleeves so he could expose and kiss her sore wrists.

They were slightly bruised. Seeing this made Seth look even more ashamed.

"I know you didn' mean it," Beth reassured him.

Seth lowered his gaze and rested his head against her chest. Beth put her arms around him and held him in place. His erection was gone, but he was still inside of her. She just let him be.


	9. Bitter Sweet

**Nine: Bitter. Sweet.**

Bobby Roode was a man of many talents. Those talents did not include being subtle.

Charlotte didn't fit his taste in women. He liked them a little more plump, a little shorter and a little less bossy. Charlotte was a better pick for Dean because he'd do just about anything for her. She was like the woman behind the song, " _Grenade_ " by Bruno Mars. She'd never do the same.

That's why Bobby didn't understand what kept him coming back to her. It started off casual enough. He saw her when he stopped by to talk to Dean. She was there when Dean brought the family to the precinct's yearly Christmas parties. If Dean forgot to turn his phone on, Bobby had to call Charlotte to remind him. Casual. Nothing intimate.

Bobby couldn't recall the exact moment of change, but something clicked within him and he realized how empty his life was without a long-term commitment. He found himself stopping by more and more. His excuse was to see Dean. He started doing some work around the house. He told Charlotte that Dean didn't know how to do some of these things, so he was just helping the family out. He started spending more time with Charlotte and Dean's son, Max. His claim was that he liked the kid and they clicked.

Charlotte didn't exactly show an interest, but she wasn't telling him to get out. The more time Bobby spent with her, the more he started to believe that she was _his_.

The moment finally came. Some random mid-afternoon in July. Max was out playing baseball with the neighborhood kids. Dean was swamped with paperwork back at the precinct. Bobby came over to fix the bathroom sink. He couldn't remember all the details, or how much time had passed. He did remember that Charlotte was wearing a dark purple dress that dipped low in front. She said she was going to a sponsorship dinner that night and she was trying on the dress in her room when Bobby busted a pipe and she came rushing in to help him.

She was barefoot and bra-less. Her hair was hanging all around her shoulders and the water had drenched her nice new dress. She was laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. Bobby was also soaked to the bone and he wasn't going to laugh, but her lighthearted attitude made him crack up.

He found his way on top of her. She didn't push him away. They were kissing and getting more heated. She didn't tell him to stop. The bathroom floor was still wet. It was hot enough that it didn't matter. He fucked her harder than he intended to. She didn't hate him, afterwards.

Bobby knew the baby was his as soon as Dean said Charlotte was pregnant a few weeks, later. Bobby tried to get to her, to tell her that he'd be there for his child, but she couldn't manage a second alone with him.

Once that baby was gone, Charlotte was gone, too.

She had mentioned more than once about going to Atlanta. Bobby knew that's where she'd go if she ever left Dean. He found her more easily than he thought he would. He offered to give her a place to stay. He knew the area better than she did. She still refused him.

He didn't immediately follow her to the city. He waited almost a year before he moved away from the piss-ant town he called home. Dean was never the wiser. He was too easy going to think his best friend was moving out to find his soon-to-be-ex.

Bobby found a place to live outside of Atlanta. He looked up Charlotte, again. He found her in an old strip joint called La Termitas. He was infuriated at first, thinking that Charlotte had been forced into the trade to make ends meet. Then he realized she chose the life. He kept an eye on her while she worked.

Charlotte only followed him home for booty calls. She only talked to him when she had a problem that she didn't want to get her hands dirty with. She spent one night with him to tell him about a young doe-eyed thing from the sticks. Beth was her name.

Bobby had been given explicit instructions from Charlotte to find a way to rid the club of, "Their rip-off version of Taylor Swift." Charlotte told him stories over time of Beth's diva personality backstage, how Beth could get Goldust to approve of anything she wanted, and how Beth was using her popularity with the men to make sure that Charlotte had less and less stage time.

"It's getting to the point where it's _costing_ me money to work there!" Charlotte complained.

Bobby watched Beth. She did appear to have a lot of stage time compared to the other girls. Charlotte was in some of the acts with Beth, but Charlotte was a background girl. Bobby saw how Beth interacted with the other girls. She appeared nice to most of them, but she showed an aversion to Charlotte. He watched Beth with the men. She spent some time with a guy named Randy. Looked like some _asshole_.

He spent months trying to find a way to get rid of Beth. She seemed to notice he was watching her and she was starting to get uneasy. She was never in a good place to cause a simple accident or something that would keep her out of work for a while. She was starting to catch on to the fact that Bobby was paying attention to her. He knew he would have to lay low for a while or he'd risk wearing out his welcome at the club.

Bobby took a trip to Miami for a few months. He learned about gator fishing. He got himself a nice tan. He shaved his head. He learned there were ways to make someone disappear.

He had only been back a few hours when Charlotte called him up in a rage, "Where did you go? You know that girl has a new routine?! I'm out for sure!"

"Calm down, alright? I'll take care of it," Bobby reassured her.

"She's got a new puppy around her, too! Seth something-or-other, the brother of that psycho, Randy! Seth's softer but he's not weak! You'll need to get her or he'll put a knife in your chest!"

"A knife? What is he, some sort of vigilante?" Bobby snorted laughter.

"He's like a hunter or something. Beth talks about it like he's some sort of a pro. It doesn't matter, what does matter is he'll stop you if he catches on to you!"

"He won't," Bobby stated.

Charlotte's voice turned softer as she asked more sweetly, "How do you know for sure?"

"They'll never see me comin'," Bobby told her.

:-:

"Bye," Beth whispered, giving Seth a quick kiss on the lips before disappearing backstage.

She knew he didn't like public displays of affection, so she kept it as simple as possible. Seth was glad that Beth understood him so well.

He wandered over to the bar. It was still early enough that there were only two customers in the club and they were being distracted by lap dances from Sasha and Bayley. Goldust was tending the empty bar, cleaning out shot glasses and preparing for another long night.

"Hello, there!" Goldust greeted Seth like they were old pals.

Seth sat sideways on a bar stool so he didn't have to look at Goldust, directly. He was more interested in observing his surroundings to make sure no one was listening.

"Beth lost her voice this morning. She'll just be dancing," Seth informed Goldust.

It wasn't a suggestion. Goldust understood that and nodded as he replied, "We can always play back the recorded songs so she can lip sync. Customers don't care one way or the other."

Seth took one more look around before he asked quietly, "I have a question for you."

"Shoot straight, then," Goldust made the motion of aiming and firing a gun with his hand. Seth didn't laugh.

"When I was here, last, Beth was singing her new song. There was a guy at the bar watching her. Looked like ex-military with a shaved head," Seth said.

Goldust didn't have to think long before he recalled, "Oh, sure! Bobby, I think his name is. He's one of those paranoid types who acts like he knows everything about everyone else but nobody knows two things about him."

"Seems like a dangerous type," Seth probed.

With a quick shrug, Goldust surmised, "He looks fierce as fuck but we've never had a problem with him around here. He just started showing up about...a year ago? About that long. He's been gone a while, though. I thought he moved."

"Does he have a preference for one of the girls, here?" Seth asked, taking another quick glance around.

"Oh, uh...Charlotte, I think. He talks to her; takes her home, sometimes. I've never seen him talk to the other girls. He used to watch Beth whenever she was on stage. He's never asked for anything one-on-one with her, though. Guess he's the look-but-don't-touch type."

"That may not apply if given the chance," Seth mumbled under his breath.

"What's that?" Goldust asked.

Seth just nodded at him and said, "Thanks, man."

Goldust smiled like he had done very well for himself. Seth was aware of Goldust's taste in men. Seth was also aware that Goldust had a bit of a crush on him. Seth only spoke to him when it concerned Beth. Goldust was always eager to engage with Seth, but he never made things uncomfortable.

Seth was about to walk out when he remembered he needed to talk to Beth. He wanted to tell her that he'd already spoken to Goldust about not singing for the night. Seth headed to the curtains that led backstage. He stopped when he heard a woman's voice saying, "...a boy-toy is all you need."

He stood just behind the curtain and listened. He could see through the fabric just well enough to make out Beth's form sitting at her vanity. Charlotte was standing behind Beth and leaning over her. Charlotte was topless and Beth was trying to lean away from her so she wouldn't get hit with a face-full of boob.

"It ain't like that," Beth whispered, her strained voice sounding too meek to stop the onslaught.

Charlotte let her head hang back and cackled out loud. Beth put her hands over her ears and leaned even further away. She was about to fall out of her chair.

"You don't even know what real men are like! The boy that follows you around? He's as green as a fourteen-year-old trying to tongue kiss his crush!"

"You're so mean," Beth sighed.

Charlotte started to turn away like she was going back to her own vanity. Seth watched as Charlotte prepared to sit down but shot back up like she had almost forgotten to add something. Charlotte pointed at Beth's reflection in the mirror and asked in a curiously sensual voice, "That boy of yours ever put it in your ass?"

Beth shot up out of her chair to walk out. Seth stepped through the curtain at that moment and she stopped short. Charlotte gave him a quick once-over and asked curiously, "How long have you been there?"

Beth's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Seth acted like he had no idea what Charlotte meant as he relayed to Beth, "Goldust said it's fine if you just dance."

Charlotte's expression fell for a moment. Seth glanced at her and caught a hint of jealousy. He also caught a much deeper emotion. _**Resentment**_.

"Thank you," Beth whispered, trying to wipe the embarrassment away by running her hands over her face.

Seth nodded and turned to leave. Beth followed after him and hugged him from behind as soon as they were past the curtain and out of Charlotte's sight.

He slowly turned around in her arms so he could face her. She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry for what she said."

"'About me being a boy who doesn't know a goddamn thing about sex, or about me putting it in your ass?" Seth lifted a curious brow.

Beth buried her head against his chest to stifle an outburst of giggles made jagged by her lost voice. Seth pulled her even closer to him and growled in her ear, "Doesn't matter what I know or don't know. I'll do anything you want me to."

Her eyes moved up to meet his. She kept her head tilted against him. She enjoyed the feeling of his arms around her. He enjoyed holding her.

"Guess we'll see," she whispered.

"Can't wait," Seth half-smiled.


	10. For His Wife

**Ten: For His Wife**

 **SEVERAL DAYS LATER**

Seth took Beth home after work. She went straight to her room and collapsed into bed. Seth climbed into bed beside her and rested for a couple of hours. He wanted to make sure Beth was safe before he took his leave.

He went to Dean's apartment and knocked on the door. Dean answered with a tired look on his face. He smelled of sweat and dust from unpacking and his shirt had several yellow mustard stains on it. Once Dean recognized it was Seth, he put his hand up and stated, "There's no need to pay for the dishes-"

Seth ignored him and held up a fifty dollar bill. Dean frowned at him but Seth refused to put it back in his pocket.

"That's too much," Dean argued.

When Seth still refused to put it away, Dean snatched it from him and shoved it into a back pocket with a humble nod, "Thank you."

"I'm going out. I need you to watch over Beth while I'm gone," Seth informed him.

Dean's eyes widened with surprise, then they narrowed as he tried to assess whether Seth were fooling with him or not. Seth started back for his apartment and Dean followed along behind. As soon as they entered the main area, Seth pointed at an old leather recliner in the makeshift living room and stated, "Just stay there and watch some TV. If Beth sleepwalks out here, don't wake her up. Follow her and make sure she doesn't get fucked up."

Dean snorted at the word usage. Seth turned on his heel to leave without another word. Dean had to assume that Beth was somewhere down the hallway in a back bedroom and judging from Seth's need to point out the recliner and state explicit instructions on where he should be, Dean was not allowed to go back there and check up on her. Dean stole a sideways glance at Seth and he noticed a stern expression on the man's face. It told him Seth did not want to leave Beth but something required his attention. He also did not appear to be satisfied with having to ask Dean to watch over her.

"Why me?" Dean just had to ask.

Seth was almost out the door when he stopped and turned to face Dean with an acidic look. Dean suddenly regretted his attempt at being a wise-ass.

"You're a former cop, aren't you?! Why don't you figure it out!" Seth growled at him before slamming the door.

He barreled down the stairs with heavy footfalls, his mood turned sour by the gleaming _azul_ eyes of the dry humored Dean. Seth was not yet sure what exactly bothered him about Dean besides _**everything**_. The worst part was that Seth couldn't seem to erase the memory in his mind of the way Beth looked when she was introducing him to Dean. _Her tank top all wet and torn and stretched from work. The sheen of sweat on her skin only made her look more beautiful...her hair all tied up with loose strands in a mess around her face...one all caught up across her left cheek that curled when she smiled..._

Seth wasn't stupid. He'd been around enough guys to know exactly what they did after they'd been around a cute girl all day. The idea only fueled his rage. He was about to head outside when he turned back and went straight for Enzo's apartment.

He banged on the door with his fist and paced the hallway. When Enzo didn't answer, he kicked the door several times with his boot. Seth didn't care who was listening as he yelled through the door, "Get off your ass and stop screwing around! Go make something of yourself, you strung-out bastard!"

Seth gave the door one last swift kick before he stormed out of the apartment complex. He was about halfway to his destination when he considered that Dean had possibly come out to check up on things and he may have heard the part about Enzo being strung-out.

 _Guess time would tell._

:-:

Seth arrived at the County Jail a few hours outside of Atlanta in less time than he thought. The noonday sun was already packing the humidity and the jail itself looked distorted from afar by those little waves of heat that came up from the ground. Seth had already called and asked for visitation to see his brother, Randy. It usually took a day or two for visitation to be confirmed.

The place smelled like mothballs. Seth couldn't figure out why, considering most everything was made of concrete. The guard behind the desk was a dark-skinned man from a foreign country that Seth didn't recognize. Possibly Middle-Eastern or Indian. The man spoke nearly perfect English and he showed no emotion when he read the last name _Orton_ on the visitation form. Seth was surprised by that. Usually Randy stirred up so much shit wherever he was that staff made a whole range of expressions to depict their disdain for the Orton name.

Visitors had to travel a short maze of hallways to a room with round tables and uncomfortable chairs. All furniture was attached to metal poles within the concrete. Seth took a seat against the furthest wall so he could watch the room. He wondered why the visitation furniture had been so aggressively welded together. He observed a few other visitors talking to their jailed loved ones. A fat woman in a white dress with red roses talked to her equally fat jailbird husband. They kissed and held hands and she cried while he told her about his, "Time in the slammer."

A gorgeous brunette sauntered her way into the room at one point. All the jailbirds turned to look. Some of the women scowled. She took a seat across the room from Seth and a man with long gray hair and arms turned black from layers of tattoos came out to greet her. He looked like her grandfather. They tongue-kissed. Seth quickly looked away.

Randy finally arrived after a long time. Always late and completely unaware of his own rudeness, Randy simply put his hands out and said with a wry grin, "Well, if it isn't my baby brother!"

Seth nodded back at him. Randy frowned slightly like he had expected more of a reaction to his presence.

"What brings you down to see me?" he added as he took a seat.

Seth got right to it, "I wanted to ask you about a guy at La Termitas who might be stalking Beth."

Randy's brow furrowed in confusion. Seth couldn't always tell whether Randy was really confused or just dragging the conversation out by playing dumb.

"Beth is the one I knocked up?" Randy twined his fingers together and clenched his jaw like he was trying to picture her.

Seth shook his head and replied, "Beth's the blond who likes to sing."

An invisible light bulb went off inside Randy's head as his face lit up with recognition, "Oh-ho-ho! _Baby Bird_!"

The way Randy practically sang when he called her _Baby Bird_ made Seth shift uncomfortably in his seat. Randy noticed.

"You know, Georgia's known for their peaches, but that one _smelled_ just as sweet as she was. I always did wonder if she _tasted_ as sweet," Randy's eyes rolled around in his head as he reminisced.

He took in a deep breath and leaned in closely to whisper, "Nothing sweeter than the smell of _**pussy**_ , baby brother."

Seth was suddenly bombarded with a flood of images he never wanted to see: _Beth giving Randy a lap dance in one of the curtained booths of La Termitas. Randy handing her a drink and watching her taste it with lust-filled eyes. Beth dancing naked on stage while Randy stared at her with a drunken gaze._

Whenever Randy wanted a girl he couldn't have, he would rub his thumb and forefinger together in an idle, subconscious way. Seth glanced down and saw that Randy was doing it, now.

"You had a thing with Beth?" Seth's voice was hardly audible.

A _Joker_ grin slowly reached either end of Randy's face. He paused to consider his options and the amount of pain he could inflict on his little brother with a single answer. The smile faded slightly as Randy reconsidered his desire to punish if only to learn more about what Seth was there for.

"We never had a thing," Randy sounded somewhat disappointed.

Seth searched his brother's face for signs of a lie. Randy seemed sincere.

Enjoying the attention, Randy couldn't help but add, "Too young for my taste."

Seth didn't have to look too closely to know _that_ was a lie. If Beth was into it, Randy would've fucked her every which way.

"Besides," Randy rambled on, "Girl I was with would get downright catty about me so much as looking at other girls. I was sure she'd claw my eyes out one night!"

Randy imitated a crow clawing at a fresh kill. Seth chuckled and the heaviness on his heart eased up a little. At least he knew for sure Beth hadn't given Randy any lap dances.

Seth glanced at the clock. He only had so much time before visitation was over. He went back to his first train of thought, "Beth said you were going to help her out with a guy, Bobby, at the club. He was stalking her and you offered to run him off."

The light bulb in Randy's head nearly exploded.

"Oh-ho-ho-ho! Baaaaby Brother! I guess Baby Bird went and found herself a _sparrow_!" Randy broke out into a fit of roaring laughter.

Most of the people in the room turned to face them. Seth turned to the wall so they wouldn't notice his face turning a deep shade of crimson. Randy just kept laughing like he could go on forever until Seth shouted at him, "Shut up!"

Randy immediately slowed down to a light chuckle, making it clear that he was only laughing so hard to mess with Seth's head.

Seth stood up to leave. Randy got angry and shouted, "Come on, now! I was only bustin' your balls! Sit the hell back down!"

Randy pointed at the seat. Seth reluctantly took it to avoid more mayhem. He was starting to doubt he would be granted another visitation.

"Why do you wanna know so much about it?" Randy asked with more intent.

He seemed interested to know what Seth was up to. In a quieter tone so no one would overhear, Seth explained, "I stuck around to help out the girl you knocked up. She moved on. Beth said she needed some help paying' rent. I moved in with Beth. Got a job at the slaughterhouse. She told me about some guy named Bobby who used to bother her. He showed up again and Beth doesn't feel safe."

Randy made a short smile like there were all kinds of things he wanted to say. He settled with, "Look here, Brother, it's quite a code of honor, your being a hero to every damsel in distress, but Dead Eyes is no one to mess with. Word is he's a former cop."

Seth was surprised by the revelation. He whispered, "You ran him off last time?"

Randy shook his head and replied, "Baby Bird was growing wise to him. Some of the guys didn't like Dead Eyes because he as a good ole' boy who acted like he was above the others. I thought he left to get away from the city. Thought he'd stay gone. Guess I was wrong."

"How do I chase him off, again?" Seth asked.

Randy answered with a shrug, "Don't know, Brother. Dead Eyes is smart. He'll go around you and break Baby Bird's wings before you get a chance to tuck her away. Man's an animal waiting to kill."

Seth clenched his jaw. He didn't like that answer.

"Can't save 'em all," Randy told him.

Seth looked Randy straight in the eyes and said, "This one's worth saving."

Randy was struck with yet another realization. This time, though, he chose not to tease. He knew better than to pick on someone who was in love.

"Dead Eyes was into that older one...Charlotte. I'd say use her if he gets too close," Randy surmised.

"Charlotte?" Seth asked to be sure.

"Yeah, that's it. The _Black Widow_. Word is she left her ball-and-chain and a young son back in the same town Dead Eyes hails from. Heard her hubby was also a cop. Poor sap had no idea his partner had it so bad for his wife," Randy explained.

Several pieces began coming together in Seth's mind. A notion he hadn't considered came to light. He didn't want it to be true.

"You know the name of her ball-and-chain? Or her son?" Seth asked.

Randy tried to remember. Seth silently pleaded for any name but the ones that were in his head.

"I'm sure the son's Max. I remember because it made me think of Mad Max," Randy said.

The pieces in Seth's mind formed a perfect moving picture. Dean in the passenger seat of a local police car cruising the town...with Bobby at the wheel.

"What's that look for, Little Brother?" Randy asked curiously.

"I gotta go," Seth took off without saying good-bye.


	11. Fools Rush In

**Eleven: Fools Rush In**

Dean was beginning to think that Seth was a rage fiend.

He'd only come across the type a few times while on duty. They were usually guys, but he had come across a female, once. People who look normal and don't say much until you say the wrong thing, which usually turns out to be the most non-rage provoking thing. Then they fly off the handle and go into some sort of blackout ferociousness that you had no idea they were even capable of.

Seth was one of those. A slim, simple looking guy who never talks shit and only seems to care about one girl in all the world. A guy who apparently can't take a joke.

Dean got up and opened the door as soon as Seth left. He watched the younger man go downstairs, then Dean watched as Seth rounded the corner and started banging on the door of some poor fool who was only referred to as a _strung-out bastard_.

As soon as Seth left, Dean went downstairs and checked all the doors for signs of damage. He hadn't seen exactly which door Seth was trying to kick down, but the scuff marks on one of them gave him the best clue.

He stood there a few minutes to see if anyone would come out. When no one did, Dean went back upstairs to check on Beth.

Seth had given him explicit instructions not to go back to her bedroom. After seeing Seth cause such chaos over a sarcastic remark, Dean ultimately decided Seth was unhinged and he ignored what he was told to do.

Dean slowly turned the knob and let the door fall open. Beth was lying on her stomach in bed with her head mostly buried under her pillow. Her blonde hair was a mess all around her back. She had kicked the blankets off and Dean's eyes drifted over her white tank top and the curves of her bottom under a thin layer of boxer shorts.

He felt a little guilty, admiring her so when she wasn't even aware of it. He surveyed the room, telling himself he was gathering information about the surroundings so he could know more about her. His eyes eventually found their way back to her. He stared for much too long.

Dean closed the door to let her sleep. He turned around and saw another door just across the hall. He assumed it led to Seth's room. Curiosity got the best of him and Dean stole a peek. While Beth's room had been decorated with pastels in pink, blue and green and showed signs of love and warmth, Seth's room was a stark contrast with gray and black hordes of clothing and hunting gear piled in the corners. There was a mattress and box springs set up on some cinder blocks. There were more piles between the bed and the floor. The closet was open and Dean saw a crossbow sticking out of it. He was aware the law would consider that a deadly weapon and Seth needed a permit to keep it in an apartment complex.

Dean considered pulling the permit card next time Seth gave him hell. He felt a small sense of satisfaction knowing he at least had some kind of leverage.

There was a soft knock at the door of the apartment. Dean went to check it out. He opened the door to find a young man with wide blue eyes and a ruffled head of short blonde hair. He was dressed in paint-stained clothes and he looked like he had just gotten out of bed. Dean assumed this was probably the _strung-out bastard_ Seth had antagonized, earlier.

"Is Seth here?" the man asked in an unusual accent when he realized Dean was not the person he was looking for.

Dean shook his head and replied, "You the one he was banging the door down to get to?"

The young man nodded, though he didn't seem too upset about the whole thing. Dean wondered if it were a common occurrence for Seth to react with anger. It was another red flag on his list of reasons why Beth may be in danger of becoming a battered girlfriend.

"Name's Enzo," the young man reached out to shake Dean's hand.

"Dean Ambrose," he replied.

Enzo took his hand back and asked, "Is Beth around?"

"She's asleep," Dean nodded back to the bedrooms.

Enzo returned a nod of his own and asked, "What brings you here?"

"I moved into the apartment next door. Seth had some errands to run and he asked me to watch over Beth," Dean explained.

"Right, because of the sleepwalking," Enzo surmised.

"You wanna come in? I could make us some coffee," Dean said.

Enzo came in and they made their way to the kitchen. Enzo took a seat on one of the patio chairs and put up his feet like he'd been there, before. Dean had yet to meet anyone else in the building since move-in day. He wanted to know more about the people he'd be dealing with for a long time to come.

"You have any idea why Beth has all that trouble sleeping?" Dean probed for information while he worked on finding cups and grounds to make coffee.

The coffee machine on the kitchen counter was simple enough. Enzo answered while he waited, "I think it's trauma. She's been through a lot. Lost her mom when she was still in her teens. Lost her boyfriend to a wreck in high school, I think."

Beth had told Dean about her mother, but he was not aware of the boyfriend's death. Dean probed a little further, "She meet Seth in high school?"

"No, they met at the club where she works. I think Seth's brother, Randy, knocked up a girl or something," Enzo rubbed his eyes.

Another red flag to add to Dean's list. He couldn't help asking, "Where's Randy now?"

"County lockup," Enzo answered.

Dean set up the coffee and sat down across from Enzo. Dean remained as calm as possible so he could continue getting information without coming across as overly interested.

"Did Beth let Seth move in here because she couldn't afford the rent alone?" Dean asked.

Enzo shrugged and replied somberly, "Can't say. They both moved in here, together, so I thought they were a couple. I actually thought Beth came out here for college. She's never said so."

"Seth looks older than Beth. You know their age difference?" Dean asked.

"I can't tell. Seth never said how old he is," Enzo replied.

"Seth have any priors?" Dean asked.

Enzo made a confused expression. Dean was reminded that not everyone followed cop-talk. He rephrased the question, "Seth ever been in trouble with the law?"

"No, not at all," Enzo shook his head and added, "Seth's the kind of guy nobody gives any credit to because of his looks and his family. _Backwoods dumbass_ , I've heard people call him. He's not what he appears. He's a good guy at heart, he just doesn't have the confidence in himself to believe it."

Dean studied him a moment. Enzo was far more perceptive and advanced than he came across initially. He had a kind face and a sort of charisma that couldn't quite be explained. He also did not appear to be _strung-out_ at the moment, despite the consistently wild look in his eyes. Dean was well aware addicts could be completely normal at times.

The coffee maker beeped ready. Dean got up and poured a cup for Enzo and himself. They drank a while in silence before Enzo stood up and said, "I should go. Tell Seth I didn't mean to yank his chain."

"It wasn't your fault. I made a comment he didn't like and that's what set him off," Dean replied.

He walked with Enzo out to the hallway. Enzo mentioned before he took to the stairs, "When Seth goes nuts, don't take it personally. He's not a social butterfly, so it goes. That's why Beth's so good for him. She makes him seem... _normal_."

:-:

Muffled sounds stirred Beth awake. She was confused by the noise at first, thinking Seth had left the TV on with the volume up too high. She climbed out of bed and pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail. She didn't bother to put on a robe. She wasn't expecting any company.

Beth opened the door to her room and the muffled sounds formed into a voice. It was Seth's. He was yelling about something.

"You get out! You're not welcome here, anymore!"

"Why the hell not?!" a second male voice argued.

"'Because I said so! Now fuck off!" Seth shot back.

Beth was still half-asleep and hadn't quite made the connection that someone else besides Seth was in the apartment. She wandered down to the end of the hall and leaned against the wall.

"What's goin' on?" Beth murmured.

Seth looked up. Then down. His eyes narrowed sharply.

Beth glanced to her left and caught sight of Dean. He was heaving from shouting so much and he too glanced down. Beth followed their gaze. She was in a tank top and boxer shorts. The boxers had been bunched up while she slept. She was showing off a bit too much skin.

She felt her cheeks burn as she tugged the edges of the boxers down so they weren't quite so revealing. She regretted not getting her robe and she thought to go back for it, but Seth startled her when he began yelling again, "Stop starin' at her like that, Ambrose!"

Beth looked at Dean. He tried to turn away, but he was already caught.

For the first time since she first met him, Beth was made fully aware that Dean Ambrose had a real interest in her.

She looked at Seth. His face was all red and he looked more furious than she had ever seen him, before.

It also became very clear to Beth why Seth had shown such disdain for Dean in the first place.

Beth was reminded of a time in middle school. Her friend Amelia was telling her about two of the boys in their class who were going to fight over her after school.

"It's so sweet, havin' two boys want you so bad they'll go neck-to-neck for it!" Amelia swooned.

Beth thought it was ridiculous.

"What if they kill each other? Then you got nobody to love!" Beth told her.

Amelia still thought it was the most romantic thing that had ever been done for her. The boys did have a fight, but they must've decided it wasn't worth it because after they got caught and served a few days' detention, Amelia was left boyfriend-less and alone.

"What's all this about?" Beth came out and stood between the two men before they could duke it out.

She faced Seth, first. He clamped his mouth shut and refused to talk. Beth turned her attention on Dean. He put his hands on his hips and explained calmly, "Seth asked me to stay and watch over you while he went out. He just came back and now he's saying I can't be here. He didn't give a reason."

Beth turned back to Seth. He was shifting his weight between his feet and he couldn't keep his focus on her eyes. He kept glancing down at her boxers.

"Why'd you ask him to leave, Seth? He do somethin' wrong?" Beth asked.

Seth shook his head but still refused to provide answers. Beth faced Dean again and argued, "Were you spyin' on me or somethin'? You go through my things?"

Dean shook his head. Beth narrowed her eyes and stated, "Did Seth catch you doing something you shouldn't?"

Dean put his hands up in defeat and argued, "I wasn't doing anything! I just made some coffee!"

Seth shot back, "You're a fucking liar!"

Beth stared at Seth with widened eyes. He was sounding more irrational with each passing moment.

"What the hell is goin' on?!" Beth screamed.

Dean shook his head and looked at Seth. Beth turned to face him as well. Seth folded his arms to set a barrier and grumbled, "Dean's ex-wife's name is Charlotte."

"I know," Beth replied.

Seth blinked with surprise and asked, "You knew Charlotte from the club's his ex?"

This time, it was Beth who was surprised.

"The club? My ex-wife works at a club?" Dean was totally confused.

Seth nodded to Dean with his chin and added, "Ambrose used to be partners with Bobby."

Beth gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Dean could not figure out why his relations were causing such a dramatic response.

"Why's it such a big deal?" Dean asked.

Beth took her hand away and took a moment to regroup. She started to tremble as she explained, "I work with Charlotte at La Termitas. She thinks I stole her spotlight an' she's been plannin' to get rid of me ever since. Bobby started showin' up a while back. He watches me on stage like he wants to..."

She closed her eyes, unable to continue. Seth finished for her, "He's had it out for Beth. He took off for a while, but now he's back. I went to see my brother, Randy. He says Bobby's got it bad for Charlotte and he's willing to take Beth down because she told him to!"

Dean could hardly believe what he was hearing. Beth watched him try to process the information as he countered, "Look, I don't know what the deal is, but I grew up with Bobby. He likes his women, but he was never one to hurt them or someone else on their behalf. I think you're mistaken."

Seth took a step forward and shouted, "Oh, yeah? Funny you'd say that about your old partner! Even funnier you happened to show up right about the time he came back!"

Dean swallowed hard and continued, "Bobby isn't one to resort to violence against women. I'm sorry he scared you, Beth, but I can assure you, you've got nothing to worry about. As for the timing, it's a coincidence. I knew Bobby was in town, but I had no idea my wife..."

"You don't understand. The way he looks at me..." Beth's eyes filled with tears.

Dean hated to see her so distraught. He decided to take it upon himself to make things right, "Look, I haven't talked to Bobby, yet. I'll call him up and ask to meet him, someplace. I'll find out where he lives."

Beth felt a sense of relief for the first time since Bobby had started bothering her. Dean went on, "I should get ahold of him by tomorrow. Beth, you let me know when you go to work that evening if he's there or not. I'd like to come by the club and talk to Charlotte before Bobby gets there. I'll make sure the whole thing gets sorted and no one gets hurt."

"How do we know you aren't going to warn him? You might just decide to turn on us," Seth argued.

"I've got no reason to," Dean shook his head.

Seth remained unconvinced. Dean would have to show proof of his loyalty to gain Seth's acceptance. He looked at Beth. She was equally unsure.

"You trust me?" he asked her point blank.

She stared at him for a few seconds in silence before responding strongly, "I trust Seth."

Dean nodded that he understood. He knew he would have to work hard to convince them both.

"Put my number on your phone. I'll text you updates. You can text me tomorrow when it's a good time to come by the club," Dean said.

Beth left the room to retrieve her cell from her bedroom. Dean told her his number and she saved it to her contacts. He said before he took his leave, "Enzo stopped by. That's why there's two cups of coffee in the kitchen sink."

Dean walked out. Beth push the door closed behind him. She stood there a second longer before she turned around to face Seth. She was caught by surprise when he enveloped her mouth in a sensual kiss.

He surrounded her body with his hands, moving so fast that Beth hardly had time to comprehend where he was headed. Her boxers were pulled down in a flash. She kicked them past her feet. Seth broke away from kissing to take a breath before he was mashing his lips against hers, again.

Beth had never felt such a flurry of attention from a man, before. She was surprised at how easily she was aroused by the thought of Seth wanting her so badly. He was never this spontaneous. It was _**exhilarating**_.

He broke away from her lips to breathe. Seth helped beth take her tank top off and he tossed it in the direction of the recliner. Neither checked to see where it actually landed.

Seth was still trying to catch the air while simultaneously working to open his jeans. Beth used his distraction to reach for his t-shirt. She worked to pull it off. Seth suddenly realized what she was doing and he locked eyes with her.

She sweetly; innocently tugged at the rim of his shirt as she whispered, "I wanna see your muscles."

Seth turned away and chewed his lower lip. He seemed to be fighting his inner thoughts over how he should let her proceed. He groaned with a sense of arousal and defeat as he lowered his head and shyly buried his face against her neck.

Beth had his shirt almost halfway up. She stretched it out just enough to get a good look at his pectorals. She giggled when she realized she was right about him having more definition because of the hard work he did at the slaughterhouse. She thought he looked _**amazing**_.

Seth started to grow tense. He was shifting his weight between his feet like he did when he was agitated. Beth was afraid she'd lose him to another bout of anger. He pulled away from her neck and looked her in the eyes. She could tell he was overwhelmed by too many emotions at once. His inner conflict had to be released. He leaned down and did something Beth never expected.

He turned his head at an angle underneath the curve of her left breast. Seth opened his mouth as wide as it would go. He grazed the underside of her breast with his teeth. It created sensations Beth hadn't felt, before.

She clutched the back of his neck and cried out with surprise. Seth immediately stood up straight and locked eyes with her, his expression full of worry that he had hurt her, somehow.

Beth couldn't form the words to let him know what she was feeling. The range of emotions was scattered everywhere in her mind. Her body started to tremble. She was so aroused, she thought she might just drift right over climax simply from his touch.

She wanted to tell him she was ready. She was grateful that Seth was so good at reading her without words. He lifted her up and held her against the metal door of the apartment. It felt cool against her back in contrast to the hot and humid room.

Beth lowered herself until Seth was inside. He made a short grunt of surprise, like he hadn't expected her to be so responsive. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and admired that he could so easily hold her up. He made quick work of building a rhythm.

She climaxed quickly, but she was quiet about it. She wanted Seth to keep going. Beth wondered if he could bring her through a second time.

She had no doubt he could.

:-:

Dean felt akin to a dog with its tail between its legs as he left Beth and Seth's apartment. He had done nothing wrong, but the idea of his former wife and his best friend being partners in crime made him think he was at least guilty of not seeing the truth.

Could Bobby be capable of hurting someone as innocent as Beth? Seth seemed sure of it. Though he came across to Dean as a loose cannon at times, Seth did not seem like the type who made up stories for drama.

Dean believed Beth most. She was truly afraid of what Bobby might do to her.

He entered his own apartment and sat down on the love seat in the living room. He pondered his options and how he would go about making contact with Bobby. Dean kept thinking that Seth and Beth must have the wrong Bobby in mind. He just couldn't bring himself to believe that the man he grew up with was capable of harming someone.

The relationship also didn't make sense. Bobby and Charlotte only ever got along for Dean's benefit. Charlotte usually left the room when Bobby was around. She had told Dean more than once that he should find another partner, that Bobby was a bad influence. Dean couldn't think of a reason why they would reunite in Atlanta, unless Bobby was there to keep an eye on Charlotte because she was new to the area.

The fact that Charlotte was working at a strip club was even more baffling. Dean had a hunch she might be doing something shady to pay the bills if she hadn't gone back to school. Possibly Bobby had found her and he was coming around to persuade Charlotte to stop stripping, but that left another puzzle. Why hadn't Bobby contacted him to let him know Charlotte was in trouble?

No matter how Dean tried to frame it, the full picture just didn't fit. There were too many pieces, and none of them explained why Beth was in fear for her life. If Charlotte wanted Beth out, that meant that Charlotte wasn't just stripping because she had to. It also meant that the woman he once called a wife was sinking to a new low.

A muffled cry through the wall startled Dean out of his thoughts. He thought it might be a cry of help at first, but then he recalled the look of desire Seth had when he first caught sight of Beth in the hallway. That same look of desire was amplified tenfold when Beth made it clear she trusted Seth far more than she trusted Dean.

Dean closed his eyes and imagined Beth in her tank top and boxers. _He wanted to be the one to take those off._

His fantasy was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of rhythmic thrusts thumping the wall. Dean had made those same sounds himself many times with Charlotte when they were still in the honeymoon phase.

A random, jealous thought entered Dean's mind. He thought about staying on the love seat so he could listen for how long Seth went for. If Seth finished off too quick, maybe Beth would eventually become dissatisfied and she'd come looking for him. Charlotte had taught Dean so well, he could bring her to orgasm at least three times in one night.

Dean pulled his mind out of the gutter and brushed the dark thoughts off. He stood up and went to his room. There were some boxes that still needed unpacking in there and he was a safe distance away from any more noise that Beth and Seth might make.

Dean refused the urge to relieve himself as he tried again to ponder what the hell was going on with his ex-wife and his former partner. He knew Seth was aware of his attraction to Beth and Dean was trying to convince himself that withholding his own release would prove Seth wrong.

Dean knew he'd probably cave by nightfall.


	12. Peaches

**Twelve: Peaches**

Dean woke up the next morning with a mission.

He called Bobby up while Max was getting ready for school. It was a quick conversation.

"Max and I are in Atlanta. We just moved here."

"Great, man. You'll like it out here," there was reservation in Bobby voice.

"You still in the area? We could meet up; talk about old times."

"Yeah, sure. I'm on Peachtree Avenue."

"This is Georgia. _Every_ Avenue is named Peachtree."

Bobby let out a short chuckle.

"Right. It's on six hundred, out by the ole' mill. Take a left on fourteen and go for three miles. It's a gray apartment on the right. Can't miss it."

"Talk to you, soon," Dean hung up.

He knew Beth was asleep but he sent her a text anyway: TALKED TO BOBBY. MEETING AT HIS PLACE SOON.

Dean sat down on the love seat and listened for signs of life coming from the apartment next door. There were none.

"Probably exhausted themselves," he mumbled to himself.

After Dean had left Seth and Beth alone last evening, there were many questionable noises coming from their apartment. They had quieted down some after the wall humping, probably because they realized they were being too loud and Max was due back anytime, but Dean was well aware they were probably still going at it until Seth left for work a few hours, later.

"Like rabbits," Dean was reminded of a time when sex was so attainable.

Dean was suddenly aware he was being watched. He turned to face Max in the hallway. His son stared at him incredulously, like a teenager does when he ponders if he's destined to become his old man, only to fight against it until his dying breath because he thinks it'd kill him to make the same mistakes.

"Dad, you're talking to yourself, again," Max informed him with a short frown.

"I was just thinking out loud," Dean stated with some minor agitation that his son would so easily assume he was out of his mind.

Max rolled his eyes and responded, "Keep telling yourself that. Oh, wait, you just did!"

The teenager burst into a fit of laughter at his own joke. Dean frowned at him.

Maybe it was like father, like son. _Both out of their minds._

:-:

Dean made sure Max got on the bus for school. It was becoming more and more difficult to get around without a vehicle, so Dean walked to the nearest place he could find and put a down payment on a truck that looked older than he was.

The ugly brown mass that was once a _Top o' the Line_ for any man who considered himself a real one had long since rusted out most of its charm until it was left with a hole in the floor of the passenger side and a radio that only played stations on the AM. Dean was fairly certain that the seat belts were made of heavy duty duct tape and the speedometer was only guessing the limit. A strange smell in the back told Dean the truck had carried many animals in its time. Dogs as well as farm. There were definitely chicken feathers stuck in the dashboard vents.

Dean ignored the little problems and set out on his way. He was just glad to have some transportation and he figured he could find help later to fix the truck up. Max would throw a fit. That was a given. Dean considered the fact that Seth's motorcycle was in good shape, which could mean that the man knew something about mechanics and he could be the one to help Dean out.

He scoffed out loud.

Seth hadn't said as much, but it was clear he _hated_ Dean.

Things may change if Dean was able to get to the bottom of the whole thing with Bobby. If he could somehow get on Seth's good graces, Dean figured Max would be less opposed to the idea of a death trap for a vehicle if Seth were the one helping the fix it, not to mention Beth would be overjoyed to see both men working together instead of at each other's throats.

Dean was starting to hate himself. Beth was the first woman he'd had much contact with since his wife left. He had attached to her more because of his own sense of loneliness than anything else. He was aware that she was off limits, yet he couldn't help the blood rushing below his belt every goddamn time he thought of **_Sunrise_**. Now he found himself searching for other ways to be connected to her, somehow. Through Seth? _Fiendish_. Through his own son? _Despicable_.

He wanted to snap himself out of his lust for Beth. Lust, that's all it was. No way could she love a man like him. A retired divorcee with a teenage son and a penchant for doing little to put himself on the social circuit. What could he possibly offer her?

But deep down, Dean felt more than lust for her. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he really loved her, somehow. He had felt it when he first laid eyes on her. He still felt it even as he denied it. He wondered if this is what people meant when they said, " _Whirlwind romance_."

"She doesn't feel the same," he reminded himself.

It didn't stop the pain building in the core of his chest.

:-:

Despite being provided with directions that would make a GPS look like a Godsend, Dean managed to find Bobby apartment within the hour. Dean thought he and Max had moved to a more run-down part of town, but Bobby's part was even worse. Dean considered parking somewhere better and walking a ways to Bobby's place.

Then he got out and gave the truck a once-over.

"Nobody's gonna take this shit," he shook his head and made his way across the street.

The neighborhood looked bleak. Mostly condos from the 70's and metal fences that had long since been blown down by wind. It was a bit outside of town and quiet, though. Dean realized after he had gotten close that Bobby hadn't mentioned an apartment number. He decided to knock on the first one he came to. An old woman in a faded yellow bathrobe answered and pointed upwards when Dean mentioned Bobby. He went upstairs and knocked on the door of the apartment directly above hers. Fortunately, a familiar face answered.

"Hey, man!" Bobby took him into a bear hug despite sounding so stand-offish on the phone.

Dean put on his best face. He was in no way going to let on that he knew anything about Bobby's involvement with Beth and Charlotte.

"So, decided you couldn't handle the country life, anymore, partner?" Bobby teased as he handed Dean a beer.

Dean took a seat on a dining room chair stationed by an old black couch against the far wall. Bobby sat down on a bar stool next to the kitchen a few yards away. The place was clean and barely used. It looked like someone from the early 90's moved out and left their furniture behind. Dean considered what Bobby's place looked like back in their hometown. He was never much for putting things up on the walls and he was notorious for holding out as long as he could before stocking up on food, but Bobby could be somewhat anal retentive about cleanliness and organization. He also loved his big screen TVs. Dean didn't see one around.

There were two possibilities that Dean could come up with: Either Bobby didn't want Dean to know where he really lived and this place belonged to a buddy, or this was Bobby's place and he was rarely there.

"What's up with the bachelor look?" Dean pointed it out to gauge Bobby's reaction.

Bobby showed no signs of deception. He just shrugged and replied simply, "No need for much."

"You take girls home to this?" Dean acted like he couldn't believe it.

"Just gotta distract 'em. All they want's the body, man. Nothin' else matters when yer kissin' the right place, know what I mean?" Bobby made a huge grin.

It confirmed to Dean that this was definitely Bobby's place. It had to be the second scenario. This gave some credence to Beth's story, but it didn't prove she was right.

Dean felt a nagging tug in his gut. He ignored it.

"You still seeing every _Flavor of the Week_?" Dean asked.

Bobby chuckled at the old phrase Dean used to say when referring to Bobby's many female expeditions. He surmised with a shrug, "I take a few home now an' then."

"Brunettes?" Dean asked.

Bobby nodded.

"Red heads?" Dean asked.

Bobby nodded.

"Sweet little blondes?" Dean took a swig of his beer so as not to appear obvious.

Bobby took the bait. He nodded and broke out into laughter like something said had set him off. Dean made a confused expression and asked, "What's the joy for?"

It was subtle. A sweeping gaze. A raise of his brow. Some sort of admission lost behind a forced expression. Dean only had a split second to read it. _He almost wished his mind was slower than that._

Bobby took another long gulp of his beer. He considered what he should say and what he should take away. Dean used his eager high school traits to keep the conversation going, "What aren't you telling me?"

 _Boys will be boys_ , Dean thought. Bobby couldn't resist the urge to respond when he was being egged on.

"So, there's this blonde who works downtown, right? She's young, though. We maybe missed each other by ten years or more," Bobby started off.

Dean forced himself to imagine a girl he used to know in high school. He knew that if he imagined Beth, he'd lose _control_.

"And like, she wants me, you know? Like, she's so into me it—it's kind of sad, ya know?" Bobby pressed an open palm against his chest.

Dean was well aware of the feeling. He was also aware that Bobby was no longer talking about Beth.

He was talking about loving someone he couldn't have. He was talking about _Charlotte_.

"Anyway, so I keep asking her out, ya know? But she's like, 'Oh, sorry, I got a boyfriend,' or some shit, and I'm like, 'Oh, really? Where is he? 'Cause I ain't never seen one around,'" Bobby went on.

Dean began to form an moving picture in his mind. Bobby standing in a strip club. Bobby seeing Charlotte on stage and recognizing her. Bobby talking to Charlotte outside the club. She blew him off, at first. But he was insistent. He kept coming back. He wouldn't take _no_ for an answer.

"Then, she starts hanging out with this guy. He's like, way older than her and he's already bangin' some other chick in the joint. This older guy, he rounds up a few of his buddies and they try an' put the fear o' God in me. 'Get outta here, man! You ain't wanted here!' Or some shit like that," Bobby continued.

Bobby seemed to be shifting between Charlotte and Beth. Dean struggled to fill in the blanks. How did Bobby pick up on Beth? Dean's theory was that Charlotte decided to use Bobby after he refused to leave her alone. Who was the older guy who told Bobby to get the hell out? Probably Seth's brother.

"Anyway," Bobby waved his hand and Dean realized he had missed a small portion of the story, "So, I took off for a while just to clear my head, ya know? I went back to the place to ask the blonde out again, but this time, she's got another guy hanging around her! Some Spaniard-exotic looking type who looks like he'd kick you in the face just for breathin' his air, ya know?"

A spot-on description of Seth.

"I tried to talk her outta being with him, ya know? I mean, it's not like I'm stealin' her away from the man of her dreams, right? He looks like one of them guys from the trailer parks we used to arrest for domestics and fuckin' doin' stupid shit while they're shitfaced drunk. I'd say I was doing her a favor, askin' her to roll with me, instead," Bobby smiled.

The moving picture in Dean's mind stopped short. Bobby was making it sound like he had taken a liking to Beth and wanted to take the next step. He made it sound like Beth had refused him and when Bobby kept right on, Beth had used Randy to show Bobby the door. After a short but sweet absence to let Beth cool off, Bobby had come back to find her dating a guy from the wrong side of the tracks. It sounded like Bobby's intentions as a former police officer were to rescue Beth from years of violence and abuse with a man she didn't deserve. Bobby would show her a good time and they would move on to better things. _No harm. No foul._

But Dean knew better. Seth wasn't an abuser. Dean had seen enough of those in his time as a deputy. He recognized all the signs. The biggest thing working against Seth was his external image, which could easily be manipulated to look like the stereotypical strong silent type who bottles up his rage and unleashes it on the wrong people. Bobby's story would've been completely believable to anyone who didn't know Seth that well.

Dean was reminded of when Beth was sleepwalking in his apartment. _She was screaming and smashing plates against the floor. Seth came in to help her. He held her in his arms and he brought her out of her nightmare._

No, Seth Rollins was not an abuser. Bobby was not rescuing Beth from him.

There was a shift in the room. Bobby had suddenly become aware that Dean had stopped listening and gone somewhere inside of himself. By the time Dean resurfaced, Bobby had become suspicious.

A long pause with no words.

Bobby spoke first, "What's the matter with you, man?"

"I'm sorry, I...I'm just missing my wife, that's all," Dean shifted all his efforts to the worst memories of his life so he could look as desperate as possible.

Bobby tilted his head to one side for a moment. There was another tense pause of silence before Bobby mentioned, " ** _Ex_** gotta get out an' get laid, man."

Dean took the risk and asked, "You think you could take me to this club you're talkin' about? Maybe I'll meet some _Flavors_ there, myself."

Bobby stared at him. Dean was sure he was caught. He braced himself for what could happen, next.

A burst of laughter. The tension lifted. Bobby shouted through guffaws, "Like you'd be caught dead lookin' for broads in a strip joint, my man!"

Dean laughed and faked defeat. Bobby appeared convinced that Dean had no clue about anything. Both men stood up. Bobby gave Dean another long hug. Dean set his beer on the kitchen island. Bobby finished his drink and Dean's. A few jokes were exchanged. Bobby made a slam about Dean being a, "Divorcee with nothin' to live for," and Dean argued that, "I've still got Max," to which Bobby asked if he could come over sometime and see _Junior._ After Dean gave his approval and opened the door to leave, Bobby called out the door, "Maybe I'll stop by after he's a little more grown. Teenagers are such dicks, man!"

Dean chuckled and waved good-bye over his shoulder. Bobby shut the door. Dean left the place feeling like he'd got the information he needed.

U WERE RIGHT. BOBBY'S A PROBLEM. MEET U AT THE CLUB. I'LL TALK TO CHAR.

He typed the text out while he was leaning against the wall of Bobby's apartment. Dean hit send and started for the street. He checked both ways. No one was around.

Dean glanced back down at his phone as he started to cross the street. _MESSAGE FAILED TO SEND_ blinked across the screen.

"Shit," Dean held his phone closer to his face to check the bars for reception.

A low rumble growled in his left ear. Dean thought it was a car starting nearby.

The bright Georgia sun was bearing down on him. He could hardly see the bars on his cell's screen.

Dean noticed the rumbling had grown louder. He glanced up a second too late.

He felt the grill of the vehicle hit him in the abdomen. It was like being slammed by a huge soccer ball.

He didn't remember feeling any pain. Just sensations. _Falling_. A series of mistakes. _Hitting something hard._ Feelings of agony that were close and then far away. _The sun_. A survival instinct. An overwhelming fear of mortality. _An inability to breathe_. Max. _I've failed him_.

Darkness.


	13. Tizzy

**Thirteen: Tizzy**

"Don't you understand the kind of trouble we'll be in?"

Charlotte glared at him and folded her arms tightly over her breasts. Her forearms clenched so hard that her cleavage popped out of her top. The image would've normally sent Bobby into a tizzy, but he was too far gone to care at that point.

"Why are you so sure I was the one who ran him down?" Charlotte stated through gritted teeth.

Bobby blinked a few times and stared at her. He couldn't tell if she were kidding or not.

"You think he just got hit at random? No fuckin' way! No fuck-in' way!" he shot back.

Charlotte continued to remain eerily calm as she stood in Bobby's living room and watched him pace like a tiger in a cage. She had shown up just after Bobby had called the police to take Dean's body away. Whether Dean would make it was yet to be determined. He was completely unresponsive when Bobby found him and the truck that took him out was already long gone.

"He knows about us, Char. I know it! I could feel it in my bones!" Bobby shook his arms violently as if to wring out the feeling like water so she could see it for herself.

Charlotte's demeanor faltered for a moment.

"Did he come right out and ask you about me?" she asked quietly.

Bobby assessed the question a moment before he shook his head and replied, "Well, no, I guess he didn't ask, but that don't mean he doesn't know! He ain't stupid, Charlotte! I've known him long enough to know how he figures shit out!"

Charlotte leaned towards him and whispered, "If you thought he knew, then why didn't you steer him the wrong way?"

Bobby blinked a few times, again. His mind was lost to racing thoughts of being caught and possibly losing the only real friend he ever had. Was he sad? He couldn't tell. All he could think of was how Max was going to take the news.

"We should find Max. He's alone without his daddy," Bobby started for the door.

He reached for the handle but hesitated when he sensed Charlotte was not behind him. Bobby turned around to face her and found her still in the same place. She was just as distant as ever.

She slowly reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She checked something on it and said simply, "I'll make a few calls and find out if Dean's still alive, then we'll pick up Max from school and take him back to their apartment."

"You know where Dean lives?" Bobby asked curiously.

"I may be away from them, but I always know where he's keeping my son," Charlotte answered coldly as she breezed past him.

:-:

Beth woke up from a horrible nightmare.

She was drenched in sweat. Seth wasn't next to her, but the door to her room was open and the air was still like he had only just left. Beth sat up and kicked the covers away. Her sheets felt like ants crawling over her skin. Her red blanket looked like a puddle of blood on the floor. The sun was peeking in through the curtain. It looked like a beautiful day. Beth felt like the sun was lying to her.

Her stomach felt knotted and hot. She was hungry and wanted to throw up at the same time. Her feet went cold as soon as they touched the hardwood floor. Beth grabbed her cell from the bedside table and checked it.

Dean had sent a text: TALKED TO BOBBY. MEETING AT HIS PLACE SOON.

Beth checked the clock on her phone. The text was a few hours old. She felt a quick pinch in her side when she scanned her messages and Dean had sent nothing more.

The door creaked and Beth looked up. Seth was standing there with a towel in one hand and a change of clothes for her in the other. He had probably warmed them up for a few minutes in the dryer because he knew she liked that.

"Somethin's up," she told him.

He bowed his head. Seth didn't have to see the text. He just knew.

:-:

Beth took a shower while Seth made breakfast. He wanted her to get dressed and eat something before they went looking for Dean. Beth had given Seth her cell phone to look over the text. There wasn't much to see. Cell phones were not really Seth's thing and he wasn't sure what else to do with what was there. Seth had watched enough crime shows to know there were ways to locate someone from their cell, but he had no idea how to apply it to this situation.

He considered just calling Dean's number, but there were too many risks. The number would probably come up as BETH on Dean's phone, and if Bobby were to see it, there'd be hell to pay.

Seth considered what Randy would do. He dropped that idea quickly. Randy would've let Dean take the fall and if anyone asked him later, Randy would put his hands up and say innocently, "I don't know a goddamn thing about it."

He ultimately decided to put Beth's cell down on the kitchen patio table until he could think of a better plan.

Beth walked in a few minutes, later. Her gaze was lost as she took a pancake and some scrambled eggs. Seth slapped another pancake on her plate as she passed him. She stopped like she was going to turn back and argue with him. She silently took a seat at the patio table, instead. Seth sat across from her and she stared at him like she wanted a full report. He shrugged his shoulders and reached for the syrup.

"That's it? You got nothin'?!" she seemed shocked and appalled.

Seth drenched his pancakes in syrup and handed her the small jug. Beth angrily pushed it away and argued, "Don't you care?!"

"I've got nothing to go on, Beth! He didn't text an address," Seth said.

She looked down at her cell phone. Her porcelain face was starting to turn blotchy red like it did when she was really upset but couldn't let it out. Seth had only seen her get this mad a couple of times. He wanted to help, but he had no idea how.

"Why don' I jus' call him up?" she reached for her cell.

Seth snatched it away from her. Beth glared at him.

"If Dean's with Bobby and your name shows up on his phone, it will cause a shit-storm," Seth quoted Randy on that last part.

Beth eased up a little. Her anger turned to shame and her eyes filled with tears. It was almost unbearable for Seth to watch.

"It's my fault. Whatever happened to him, it's all my fault," Beth wept.

Seth put the phone down on the table. He got up, walked over to Beth, stood her up and pulled her into him. She sobbed his t-shirt wet. He brushed his lips against her ear and whispered, "It's not you who has done wrong."

Beth lifted her head and screamed, "But he was helpin' me, Seth! He didn't know me well an' he had no reason in hell to believe me over his best friend or his evil-ex, but he went on my word and now somethin' terrible's happened to him!"

She sank back into his t-shirt, again. Seth was about to say something more when a ringing sound pierced the air and made them both jump.

It was Beth's cell.

She rushed to grab it. Beth's eyes were wide as saucers when she read the name. She didn't have to tell Seth for him to know it had to be Dean.

"Hello? Hello?!" Beth shrieked frantically.

Seth could hear a strange voice answering her. The words were too low for him to hear, but he did not recognize the voice as Dean's. Seth watched as Beth's face went from something manic to something concerned. She nodded and asked, "I'm his...we're neighbors, I think I could-"

Seth waved his hand to get her attention. Beth told the voice, "Hold on, please," then she put her thumb over the receiving end and explained, "It's the hospital. Dean's been in some sorta car accident. They called me 'cause he had a note in his pocket with my number on it."

He nodded and considered their options. Seth had only been in and out of hospitals a few times in his life and never by choice. Sometimes, Randy took a bar fight too far, or their daddy did something stupid while drunk and needed a few stitches. Seth was aware that family members had the most privileges when it came to hospital rules. He knew that they'd be contacting Charlotte because she was Max's mother and Dean didn't seem like the type of guy who updated his emergency contacts all that often. More than likely, Bobby would also be making an appearance on account of his past with Dean. Despite the conviction Seth held for Dean, he didn't exactly want to see the man in a hospital surrounded by the people who put him there.

"Tell them you're Dean's fiancee," Seth stated.

"What?" Beth blinked with surprise.

"They won't let us see him if we aren't close with him," Seth told her.

Beth frowned and said, "But I don' think of him like that-"

"They'll be calling Charlotte and Bobby. Charlotte will take Max if he doesn't have someone to go home to," Seth surmised.

Beth stood up straighter at the mention of Max. She nodded that she knew what she had to do. She took her finger away from the receiver and asked, "You still there?"

Her face lit up with a smile when the voice responded to her. Beth explained as sweetly as possible, "I ain't s'pposed to tell nobody this, 'cause it was gonna be a surprise an' all, but Dean proposed to me jus' last month, so I'm his fiancee..."

She went on to tell the voice that they lived next door to each other in an apartment complex while they went house hunting. They were a, "Fast an' furious romance," and, "It was just 'bout time to tell the family." The voice said a few more words to her and Beth acted as jubilant as possible, but Seth could see the guilt in her eyes for having to lie.

When she finally hung up, she looked up at him and said somberly, "I'm only doin' this to save Max an' to keep that bitch Charlotte an' her hound dog Bobby from hurtin' Dean even more. I ain't got no real feelings for Dean an' this don' change the way I feel 'bout you."

"I know," Seth nodded.

:-:

Finn was startled awake by the sound of his cell ringing. He scooped it up from the bedside table and checked the name. He answered it as soon as he read it was Seth, thinking this was some sort of a prank or a dream.

"Ya there, Rollins?" Finn asked curiously.

"I need your help," Seth stated.

"Anythin', bru-dder," Finn replied without hesitation.


	14. Honey

**Fourteen: Honey**

Dean was suspended in time.

A place between the living and the dead. A haze of images and visions and hallucinations all rolled into one continuous film that flooded his senses and took control of his brain. When he tried to recall the events after the fact, it came to him like random choices of a hundred-volume book series. None of his memories really fit together or went in any certain order, but to him, it made all the sense in the world.

Max was his last thought before he blacked out. He was sure of that, yet his mind kept showing him images of Beth. The images were mostly fabrications or superimposed memories where anyone Dean had shut out of his life had been replaced with Beth and her _smile like a sunrise._

Dean's brain was damaged in the accident. Several doctors had confirmed that fact with tests and scans. He could remember one doctor saying something like, "You're lucky you're not in a coma," a suggestion Dean found ridiculous because he never considered people in comas to be unlucky. It was like believing they were lost to the confines of time because they gambled too much.

The damage seemed minimal to Dean. The only change he found was that his memories were taken apart like puzzle pieces and put back together to create a completely different bigger picture. Beth became the link between the pieces. Looking back on it, Dean told himself that she was symbolic of innocence and happier times. Whatever the reason, his mind had chosen her to be the commonality. Dean believed that if he had been dating or met someone else before his accident, perhaps his mind would've never considered Beth at all.

He had been in and out of consciousness. Sometimes there were nurses or doctors there when he awoke. Dean was able to comprehend that he was in a hospital, but he had not yet come to terms with the accident that brought him there. An officer had arrived at some point and asked a few questions. Dean gave answers, though he couldn't recall what he had said.

Familiar voices surrounded him at some point. He didn't open his eyes. Dean tried to listen to understand what the voices were saying, but his mind would not let him. Sometimes the voices sounded strict or angry. He felt a hand in his. Dean thought that his bed moved several times, like someone was bumping against the end of it.

"...no clue what this is all about," a woman said.

Her voice was low and angry. An image of Charlotte came into Dean's head. He began to dream of the house on the corner he and Charlotte had rented just after they got married. It was a small white house with a roof that pointed upwards. Dean never liked that it resembled a church. Money was tight and they were both stressed after a long day of looking at houses. Charlotte had shattered a coffee cup on the floor and she yelled that it was a bad omen. Dean had never taken the incident seriously. Now he wondered if he should have.

"...sick, he's sick! Don't you understand!" a second woman shouted.

The second voice stirred Dean awake. Though it had come out shrill, he was reminded of the honey smoothness it usually resembled.

" _Sunrise_ ," Dean said, focusing his gaze on Beth at his left side.

Her baby doll eyes blinked with surprise. She was standing very close to his face and she stepped away as soon as he spoke. His left hand felt warm and Dean glanced down to see that Beth had cupped both her hands over his. Dean looked up just as Seth came to stand behind Beth from somewhere in the room. They looked oddly distant from him, as if their images had been cut out and pasted back so they only appeared to still be there.

"Well, look at that! He's got a pet name for you! Guess I should consider your story after all!" the first woman's voice came back.

Dean's neck felt stiff and unusable, so he let his eyes scan the room. He found Max holding his right hand. Charlotte was standing behind Max with her arms folded stiffly against her. Charlotte's eyes were narrowed sharply as she stared at Beth. Dean found Bobby standing at the foot of the bed, his shoulders back and his hands on his hips as if he were about to break up a fight.

"Dad? You okay?" Max whispered.

Charlotte turned her attention to Max and her expression went from spiteful to _Mother Bear Mode_. She wrapped her arms around Max's shoulders and hugged him lovingly. It looked fake to Dean, like watching a play featuring actors who weren't very good at their craft.

"I'm fine, son," Dean managed to answer him.

Max sniffled. His face glowed like he had been crying. Charlotte unraveled herself from Max and looked up. Her eyes found Dean's for a mere second before she was back to giving Beth a death glare.

Dean could feel his eyelids getting heavy. His body stirred a bit and he looked down to see Bobby gently shaking his leg to keep him awake.

"Hey, man, we got one more question for you before saying goodnight," Bobby told him.

Dean nodded and Charlotte opened her mouth like she wanted to be the first to ask. She was shot down when Max formed the words half a second faster, "Are you really gonna marry Beth?"

Dean's mind tried to take him to his memories of marrying Charlotte. The past and the present began to blend and swirl together until Charlotte was completely replaced by Beth's image.

"Sure, son," Dean believed it even as he said it.

"This is an outrage! How long have you known her?! Two weeks?! Two fucking weeks?!" Charlotte's voice boomed through his ears and rattled his memories.

"Charlotte! Goddammit!" Bobby was shouting at her.

Dean could feel his body moving side-to-side. He was aware he was being shaken, but he felt no pain. The shaking stopped and Dean watched Bobby pushing Charlotte outside through a glass door across the room. Max said something and rushed off after them. Dean was able to catch the outline of Seth's shoulders as he wandered out with the others.

"I'm sorry," Beth whispered to Dean.

She let go of his hand. He felt a blast of cool air hit the previously warm spot.

"Don't leave me," Dean called out, though his voice sounded small and faded.

 _Sunrise_ was gone.

:-:

Max knew that his mother had issues. He couldn't ignore the fact that she had left him behind after their daughter, Nancy's death. She kept up a lot of contact with him by cell phone, something that Max was grateful for after he found out that most of his friends hardly ever heard from _ **the other parent**_ after the divorce.

She gave him a few reasons why she left. One of them was that she just couldn't stop thinking about Nancy. Max never understood how his mother made it a valid reason to abandon one child because she lost the other. Sometimes he wondered if he just wasn't good enough to fill the void Nancy had left.

Max ultimately decided that it was better he stayed with his father. Dean sometimes resembled a loser without a wife around to make him laugh and give him a reason to be _Super Cop_ , but he hadn't become an alcoholic after Charlotte left and he never said a bad word about her in front of Max. The divorce of his parents had left Max with a number of potentially negative and life-changing outcomes that never happened, but he still couldn't help feeling resentment whenever he saw a happy family.

Since his mother's disappearing act, Max had watched his father closely for signs of a breakdown. When Dean brought up the idea of moving, he was calm and collected about it. When he decided to retire, he talked to Max about it before making the decision. If his father was breaking, it was somewhere deep beneath the surface.

Max never thought of his father as the type to jump the gun. Whenever he spent time with Bobby, Max was told that Dean was the negotiator, or the good cop, while Bobby was the one who rushed into action when it came down to it. Dean was the tortoise and Bobby was the hare. The fact that his father was so easy to figure out with both deeply infuriating and soothingly reliable.

That's why Max didn't believe it when Beth told him she and Dean were getting married.

He laughed. Max regretted it now, but that was his initial reaction to the news. He thought it was some sort of a poorly-timed joke. _Who talks about wedding plans in the middle of a hospital?_

Charlotte didn't laugh. Max watched his mother launch at Beth like a wild animal. Seth got in front of Beth and blocked Charlotte's attack. Bobby had to practically peel Charlotte off of Seth.

It was like something out of a bad soap opera. An episode you started watching because there was nothing else on and you keep asking yourself, "What the hell is going on?" You deliberate constantly about changing the channel, yet you can't stop wondering what's going to happen, next.

"He's gonna know you're a prostitute! I'll make sure he knows that the minute he wakes up!" Charlotte threatened.

"She's no prostitute! She's a dancer at a club, just like you!" Seth shot back.

Charlotte clawed at Seth. Bobby held her back.

"Mom?" Max said out loud.

Everyone turned to face him. They were all standing like a herd of deer who just noticed a car coming. Bobby had the quickest reaction time and remarkably the best excuse, "Your mom's been doing what she can to pay the divorce lawyers. There's no shame in that."

Charlotte came down to her knees so she could hug Max close to her. The nails she had just tried to slash Seth's face with were now digging lightly into her son's shoulder blades as if they never intended to do anyone harm. It still took Max another minute to fully realize that he was being told his mother was a stripper. A stray thought entered his mind: _The guys at school would love to hear this._

Then came the downside: _Society doesn't show much respect for strippers._

"I thought you wanted to go back to school to be a nurse," Max blurted out when his mother released him.

Charlotte was already coming back to her feet and she seemed too distracted by Beth's presence to answer him. Max glanced at Seth, maybe hoping for a reaction from the rebel he so admired, but Seth's expression was stoic and he seemed to only be there for Beth.

"How come you're marrying my dad? I thought you two were a couple," Max pointed between Beth and Seth.

Beth answered almost too quickly, "He's my _**roommate**_."

Max's instincts told him something was off. Everyone seemed to know more than he did. He wanted to argue with Beth, but when he saw how hateful his mother looked eyeing the competition, he thought the better of it.

"Let's go on in and see to our host," Bobby tried to lighten the mood.

He motioned for Max to take the lead. The group followed him to his father's room on the 3rd floor. Dean had been admitted to intensive care so he could be consistently monitored. When Max first walked into the room, it reminded him of a sterile place in the back of a church where a nun might put a child who refuses to follow the rules.

The entire time, Max stayed pinned to his father's side. Dean looked normal beyond a few cuts and bruises. Max found it hard to believe his father had actually been struck by a vehicle and thrown thirty yards into the pavement.

 _He looks like he just fell off a bike_ , Max thought.

Max pretended to be mostly unaware of his mother's intentions with Beth. The hatred seemed to be thicker and older, like Charlotte was mad at Beth for more than just the wedding announcement. The tension almost exploded when Dean confirmed that wedding plans were in the making.

There was still the possibility that Beth was lying. Max had no idea why the young blonde would be after his father. Dean wasn't a rich man. He came with a teenager and a coffee maker that he didn't quite know how to work. Beth was young, beautiful and likable. She probably got proposals all the time. Max loved his dad, but Beth seemed out of Dean's league.

"We're going to Dean's apartment to stay the night. You should stop by and see us," Charlotte told Bobby when they all went out to the parking lot a few minutes, later.

"Who's gonna stay and look out for my dad?" Max argued.

"Don't worry, Max, I made plans with a buddy of mine. Finn," Seth said, giving Max's shoulder a reassuring smack.

Bobby and Charlotte glared at Seth. Max braced himself for another outburst, but none came. Charlotte guided him into Bobby's all-terrain vehicle and they left the parking lot like bank robbers on an escape.

Max and his mother were dropped off at the apartment. Max gave Charlotte a quick tour and she went to the kitchen. He went to his room to listen to music. He only cried a little bit. He didn't want his mother walking in and trying to coddle him like she did when he was _five_.

He could smell food after a while. Charlotte wasn't usually much of a cook. Max didn't care. He was hungry as hell and glad he didn't have to find money to get delivery.

Max thought about the day's events. His father was involved in a hit-and-run. Bobby and Charlotte came to take him out of school like they'd just been on stand-by the whole time, waiting for the right moment to re-enter Max's life. He was taken to a hospital where he was told by a stuffy looking doctor that his father had actually been in an accident and Max thought he'd be walking in on the unconscious zombie that used to be his father and the only sound he'd hear was the steady beeping of the heart monitor. When Max finally saw his father, Dean looked so unhurt that Max had to remind himself that they don't admit people into hospitals who aren't really injured.

There were three revelations about the day that took hold in Max's mind: His neighbor was claiming she was his father's fiance. Max didn't know what to think about that, other than it must be some sort of mistake. His dad was the tortoise. There's no way he'd marry a lady he barely knew.

The second revelation was that his mother was a stripper. This revelation could easily be the most infuriating, but Max actually felt the least affected by it. What he found most curious about this revelation was that Seth had said Beth was also a stripper. Judging by the hate his mother showed for her, Max concluded that Beth and Charlotte were working together. Max made a mental note to ask if his father knew this fact. He highly doubted _the tortoise_ would marry a stripper.

Last came the third revelation. It happened by accident and it was the result of the first two revelations. After eating a full dinner made by his mother, Max went to bed. Charlotte had said while serving that she had to work that night, but Max wasn't really listening. He was too deep in his own thoughts.

He woke up while it was still dark. He had been dreaming about a strip club that he'd seen a short trip from the apartment complex. He remembered dreaming of Charlotte going inside the club. Max got out of bed and dressed himself. He planned to make a trip down to the club. He figured it was a long shot that his mom worked so close by, but his curiosity wouldn't leave him alone.

Max checked the apartment. Charlotte was gone. There was a note on the kitchen counter that said Bobby would be stopping by to check on him. Max wrote below the note that he went out for a walk around the parking lot. He hoped Bobby wouldn't check up on him while he was gone.

The walk was quiet. The streets were dark and full of shadows. Max tried not to walk too far out in the open. He was the son of a cop. He knew what kind of predators looked out for kids and teens left on their own after hours.

Max reached the club faster than he anticipated. He could hear the music vibrating through the brick walls. He went around to the back of the club to look for a way in. He knew if he got caught, he'd have to explain himself. Max found a broken window that led to the basement. He considered a moment that his father was in the hospital and didn't need to be bothered with reports that his son had trespassed at a titty bar. Max was again reminded of a bad soap opera. The teenage boy with mommy issues seeks her out at a shady joint and gets himself caught because he's never had a knack for being _incognito_.

His jeans got caught on a shard of glass coming in. Max managed to free himself but his calf burned like he'd been scratched. It wasn't bleeding too much so he ignored it and moved on. He was reminded of DNA evidence and if he got caught now, they'd have proof. He could practically read the headline: _Dumb Teenager Made It Way Too Easy for the Po-Po_.

"Why'd He Even Bother?" Max mumbled what he thought the caption would read as he climbed the stairs to the upper floor. He could see red carpet and a black curtain at the top of the stairs. Max stood behind the curtain and checked for signs of life. He could see a dozen vanity mirrors lit up all around the room. It looked like a vintage powder room straight out of the movies.

Max recognized a necklace hanging on one of the vanity mirrors closest to him. It was a locket he had given to Charlotte just after Nancy was born. Dean had told him it would be the perfect present because Charlotte could keep Max and Nancy's pictures inside the locket. All Max could remember thinking was that jewelry stores were totally lame. He was struck with a sense of sadness and an emotion he couldn't quite identify when he realized his mother had chosen to keep the necklace instead of _**him**_.

Someone suddenly burst into the vanity room. Max forgot he was hidden by the curtain and he nearly screamed from the shock. He caught himself before stumbling back down the stairs and he rushed to hide even further against the wall.

His eyes focused on the figure in the vanity room. It was Beth. Max swallowed hard when he saw that she was wearing a blue dress much like the one in Wizard of Oz...but with the top pulled down.

Max couldn't help the stimulation he immediately felt. He tried to remind himself of what he was there for. He knew the visual would _never_ leave his memory.

He looked up when he heard footsteps coming towards him. Beth reached the vanity just a few feet from Max and straight across from the vanity where Charlotte's necklace hung. Beth took a seat and put her top back up. Max felt ashamed to even look at her, now. If she really was going to marry his dad, he couldn't think of her like he thought of those naked girls in the magazines he hid under his mattress.

She really was beautiful. She ran her fingers through her golden blonde hair and checked her makeup. Max wondered what it would be like to have a girlfriend like Beth. She seemed happy. And nice. And she must be pretty cool because she lived with Seth.

Another figure entered the room. Max focused through the curtain to make the person out. It was Charlotte. Thankfully, she was fully dressed.

Max watched his mother waltz across the room. Charlotte took a seat at the vanity where the necklace hung. Max felt a surge of anger that his mother was so close this whole time. He began to wonder if she really had been waiting on stand-by. _She knew they were moving to Atlanta! If Dean hadn't been hurt, how long would she have waited to tell them she was here?!_

"I can't let you leave," Charlotte said.

Max froze.

"What're you talkin' 'bout?!" Beth turned sideways in her chair to face Charlotte, better.

Max breathed a short sigh of relief. No one had seen him, yet. He watched his mother stand up and turn to face Beth. Charlotte put her hands on her hips and stated, "I can't let you marry my husband."

"There's an _E_ _ **X**_ somewhere in there, I'm sure of it," Beth retorted and turned back to face her mirror.

It only took a few seconds for the third revelation to come to light. It took Max several minutes to recover from the shock to fully grasp it.

His mother was a _killer_.


	15. Girl Gone Down

**Fifteen: Girl Gone Down**

Max watched as his mother stopped just behind Beth's chair. Charlotte kicked her left foot up and her designer heel struck Beth in the left temple. Beth widened her eyes in temporary shock.

She didn't seem to register what had happened. Beth slumped forward in her chair. Her body moved as if pulled by invisible magnets until she had sank down to the floor. She was lying on her right side and a trail of blood flowed from her temple.

Max stood frozen in a state of suspended reality. He felt as though he were watching a giant movie screen and all this were some sort of act. He didn't believe it was real. He didn't believe his mother could be so _**violent**_.

Charlotte stood over Beth's body and examined her a while. The motherly love Max had always seen in her eyes was long gone. She resembled a stranger as she stared down at Beth as though the blonde girl below her were an object. There was no sense of remorse or pity. There was no sense of alarm that Beth was suffering. There was only a cold, blank stare of _apathy_.

Unprovoked and apparently high on some misguided belief that she had triumphed, his mother spoke the truth to Beth's unconscious form with the presumption she would never be caught, "I should drag you out to the parking lot, strip you down and run you over. Let the regulars finally get an eye-full of what all you look like. Make them never forget the beautiful singing and dancing girl, reduced to nothing more than a skid mark to be sent to the cold, red earth."

Max swallowed hard and stared. His mother did not move to grab Beth's body, though her eyes rolled around in her head as if she were deliberating size and weight and ability to get away with such a crime. Charlotte made a long sigh of disappointment and stepped over Beth's head to leave, yanking out a strand of blonde hair stained crimson that had snagged around her heel in the process.

Charlotte called over her shoulder, "I'll go talk to Goldust. I paid him to run over my husband. Surely he won't mind more cash to dispose of you."

The thing he once called _Mom_ disappeared back onto the stage. Max waited a moment and listened intently. The vibrations and sounds of loud music through heavy speakers shook the walls. It seemed that Charlotte thought so little of what she had just done that she decided to fit in one more dance routine before tending to the mess she had made.

Max took the opportunity to come out from behind the curtain. Beth was still unconscious and there were no sounds of other women yet to arrive. Max was still a growing man, and he knew he was nowhere near the strength of his father or even Seth, but what he had just seen gave him the motivation he needed to lift Beth off the ground.

He managed to get her back through the curtain and down the steps to the basement before his arms threatened to collapse from exhaustion. Max cursed himself for ignoring his athletic friends who encouraged him to get into sports. He ground his teeth together for not listening when Coach Harmon told him he had a good figure to be a competitive swimmer. He growled in frustration for not taking it seriously when Bobby offered to show him the steps for basic weight training.

Max slowly lowered Beth to the floor. It was cold and damp and dark down there, and he had no idea what might start crawling around her body, but he couldn't hold her any longer. She was still wearing the blue dress and the Velcro holding up her top had come apart. Her left breast was barely visible in the darkness. Max's cheeks felt hot with a mix of arousal, guilt and shame as he struggled to cover Beth up. The edge of his knuckle accidentally brushed the outer edge of her nipple. Max tried desperately to override his hormonal responses and instead turned his focus on the cell phone in his pocket.

While Beth was helping them move, Max had managed to grab her phone for a few seconds so he could get Seth's cell number. Max had put Seth's number in his phone with the idea that maybe the _cool guy who rode the motorcycle_ would admire a kid who was gutsy enough to send him hilarious memes on a semi-regular basis. Max thought eventually he could work his way into Seth's life until they were good friends or even _best_ friends. Max had yet to send a single message. No meme had been deemed hilarious enough to penetrate the awesome exterior that was Mr. Rollins.

Max felt a sense of disappointment that his first message to Seth would not be something funny or easy to share. Their first virtual communication would instead be something more desperate and alarming. Max looked for Seth's number and immediately sent a text:

BETH'S IN TROUBLE. NEED HELP NOW. THIS IS MAX. HURRY. MOM KILL HER.

Max sent the text. He read it over afterwards and realized the last part sounded really bad. He quickly sent a second text:

BETH'S ALIVE. MOM WANTED TO KILL HER. I HAVE HER SAFE. COME TO BACK OF CLUB. BROKEN WINDOW. BASEMENT.

He had just hit send when Max's phone suddenly blasted loudly with noise. It was the death metal ringtone he had downloaded to piss off his dad. Initially meant as an annoying joke, it had become perhaps the worst possible sound to pierce Max's ears at the moment.

Beth groaned beside him. He sucked in a breath and hit ANSWER before checking the number. He heard heavy breathing on the other end and Max opened his mouth to say hello to Seth.

"Where the hell are you?!" the voice that screamed at him was definitely not Seth.

"Uh...um...hi, Bobby," Max struggled to think straight.

"Did you bail out on me?! I come over here to check up on you and you're out foolin' around! You think just because your daddy ain't here, you can do whatever the hell you wan'-"

"Sorry, gotta go, you're breaking up," Max abruptly ended the call.

Max quickly turned the volume on his phone to vibrate. He glanced back up the stairs to make sure no one had heard his ringtone. There were no bodies silhouetted behind the curtain. He and Beth were still safe.

But Max knew Bobby would keep looking for him. It was late, but Bobby would ask around the block and do whatever he could to find out exactly where Max went, even if it meant asking the police station for help. There was also no telling when Charlotte would be back. Her song would probably be three or four minutes at best. Then she'd be searching for Beth's body.

Max glanced back down at his phone. There were no signs of a response from Seth. If Seth was at work, he may not even have his phone on him. He may not even get the message until his lunch break, or even after his shift if lunch was already over. Max had to make a choice.

He took Beth by her wrists and lifted her up. He guided her arms over his right shoulder and he linked his arms around her waist. He pulled her up until she was hanging over his shoulder. It was still hard to lift her, but he could carry her more easily this way. Her top had become a piece of loose fabric bunched against her belly. Max could feel her breasts brushing against his shoulder blade when he walked. He kept pushing away any sexual images that threatened to invade his teenage mind. He replaced them all with images of what his mother might do if she found them.

Max moved as quickly as possible. It was so hard in the dark. He had no idea how he had managed to make it through the first time. He banged his knee against an old metal desk at some point. He nearly dropped Beth when he inhaled a mess of cobwebs. Max ignored the burning pain on his leg where he had been cut by the broken glass from the window he had come through to get down here in the first place. He realized too late that he was going to have to find a way to get Beth through that window and then himself to get out.

It felt like hours before he reached the broken window. The light of the moon coming through it made it easier to see. Max was hit with a sense of defeat when he saw that the window was unreasonably small and trying to fit Beth through it without cutting her on the shards of glass would be nearly impossible.

He thought to set her down again, but he could hardly see the ground. He was afraid of what might be lurking in the corner nearby. Max closed his eyes and tried to think of a plan. He could find a spot to stay hidden until Seth got there, but he was still under threat that Charlotte could find them.

Over his shoulder, Beth began to stir.

Max stepped back away from the window and frantically searched the darkness for a place to set her down. He saw what he thought was an old wooden chair connected to a desk for school. He took his chances and set her down on top of the desk.

The chair creaked and he could hear the desk starting to split, but it didn't collapse. Max pulled his phone out and used the light to give Beth some awareness the minute she opened her eyes.

She blinked a few times. Her blue-green irises registered little as to the state of things.

Max could tell Beth was hurt. He wondered what a concussion looked like. He cursed himself out loud again for not getting into sports.

"I'm sorry I'm not strong enough to hold you. I'd get you outta here if I could," he whispered.

Beth reached up and molded her hands to either side of his face. Max glanced down. Her top was down around her waist. She didn't notice her own exposure.

"I'm sorry," Max tried to look away.

Beth held his face so he was forced to look at her. He tried to find Beth within her own eyes, but there was only a blank look of someone trapped far away. He glanced up at her head wound. The bleeding was a slow and steady stream. It dripped down her jaw and landed in a puddle on her lap. It reminded Max of a day in school when a girl in the cafeteria stood up and there was a blood stain on the butt of her jeans. She screamed and ran out. Max overheard some girls in his class saying later that she got her period. He wondered how the punctuation at the end of a sentence had anything to do with bloody jeans.

A sudden gust of wind and the sound of glass shattering by the broken window forced Max to turn his head away. He dropped his phone and the light shone up to the exposed pipes of the basement. Max only had a moment to assess what threat may befall them before Seth suddenly appeared in the light and rushed to gather Beth in his arms.

"She's hurt. My mom kicked her in the head. She was going to kill her, I didn't know-"

Seth was already leaving. Max grabbed his phone off the ground and ran to catch up. Seth had kicked out the frame of the broken window when he came in. Max felt a bit of resentment that he hadn't thought of that.

"Seth," Beth mumbled as he set her down below the window.

He spoke so softly to her that Max understood not a word. Beth nodded and stayed calm, leaning against the basement wall as Seth hopped up and slipped back through the window with the agility of someone skilled in the art of B&E. Max stood beside Beth to make sure she didn't fall over. He looked up when Seth poked his head back through the window and held his arms out to lift Beth up.

"Get her arms," Seth said, waving his own hands impatiently.

Max took Beth by her wrists and guided her arms over her head. Seth easily took each wrist and pulled while Max wrapped his arms around Beth's knees and pushed. She flowed through the window in seconds. The light of the moon shown against her breasts and cast her skin the color of a grayish blue. The blood on her head shined a venomous shade of black. Seth leaned over her on his knees. He made a strange noise as he reached down to check her. Beth's eyes had closed, again.

Max caught the edge of the window and pulled himself out. He heard no noises behind him and he was sure that meant no one knew he was ever there. Max took a moment to catch his breath and waited for any sign of movement from Seth. The strange noises continued to come out of Seth's throat. Max looked up at the man to understand what exactly the noise was.

Seth was _crying_.

:-:

Lana was not the type to settle down.

Still young in the eyes of important people, she had accomplished more than most women her age. She had gotten a Master's degree in less than five years. She worked for one of the most prestigious law offices in New York. She had an apartment that most would kill for and she could get most men to kill for her.

She thought of the farm a lot when she first moved away. She remembered how afraid Beth was that Lana was moving to a city with a high rate of violent crime. "Don't die on account of thinkin' them folks will be as nice as they are back home," Beth warned.

The glorious invention of texting made it much easier for Lana to keep a connection to her home life. Their brother, Jimmy, usually sent her drunk texts in the middle of the night. He was also notorious for political memes and he sent a disturbingly high number of links to Beyonce-themed vines. Their Uncle Lloyd, and their father, Mike, were equally terrible at cell phone use, so Lana would send her mother, Patty, texts to read to the rest of the house and let everyone know that, "Big ole' N-Y-C hadn't killed Queen Lana-Bee," as Lloyd liked to put it.

Beth was the easiest to talk to. Though her little half-sister made great claims that she was mere moments away from being a household name in the Country music business, Lana had doubts that Beth was so easily achieving her dream and adjusting to city life. Lana was the tree that made the river water separate as it flowed through. Beth was the water itself, ebbing and flowing wherever she was carried.

Lana knew about Seth Rollins. Beth confessed after Lana overheard Seth talking in the background while Beth was on the phone with her. Lana didn't like the idea of her single, sweet-hearted sister living with a male roommate. She had half a mind to leave New York and make a surprise visit just to see who this Seth Rollins really was. He had a peculiar name, but Lana didn't believe her sister would let a peculiar guy move in with her. Beth spoke too highly of him. When months passed and Beth gave no indication her male roommate had put the moves on her, Lana ultimately concluded that Mr. Rollins was gay. This put her mind at ease.

Beth had given Lana Seth's phone number for emergencies. Lana had put it in her phone and forgotten about it. In the early hours of morning, Lana was still in the office, waist deep in files for a huge case coming up, when her phone buzzed from somewhere on her overwhelmed desk.

Lana climbed through things to reach it. She had only just picked up her phone when the call went to voicemail. She set her phone back down and waited. If it was important, she thought they'd call right back.

Her phone started buzzing, again. She checked the name. She read SETH ROLLINS across the screen. It took her a second or two to realize who the name belonged to.

"Seth?" she asked when she answered.

"You have to come down here. Beth's in trouble. Don't tell anyone else. It's not safe," Seth hung up before Lana could reply.

She put her phone in her pocket and kicked the pile of paperwork down. She had heard Beth was in trouble. That's all she needed to know.

:-:

Dean drifted in and out of consciousness. There were times where he thought he was back in his hometown. There were times where he thought he was in his childhood home. There were times where he understood he was in a hospital, but he had no idea why. The only time he felt much peace was when he thought of _Sunrise_.

She was whispering something to him when his eyes fluttered open. Dean found himself in the semi-darkness of a hospital room with a TV in the far corner on and set to mute. Dean's days as a cop trained him to know instinctively that there was another body in the room. He saw movement in the recliner to his left. A figure leaned forward so Dean could see him. The face was not one he recognized.

"Finn, Sir. Finn Balor, a friend o' Rollins," the man told him in a thick Irish accent.

"Wh...where is he?" Dean struggled to swallow against his dry throat.

Finn reached out of view and his hand came back holding a cup of water with a straw against Dean's lips. After taking a long drink to end his parched state, Dean sucked in a deep breath and tried again, "Where's Seth?"

"Had ta wurk," Finn answered, putting the drink back out of view.

Dean whispered, "Beth's safe?"

Finn simply nodded.

"My wife...ex...Charlotte. I don't think Beth should be left alone with her," Dean struggled to make a coherent sentence.

"You don' need worry 'bout the Lass," Finn replied.

Dean closed his eyes and tried to focus. He heard the sound of air hissing out of the recliner as Finn returned to his seat. When Dean opened his eyes, again, he glanced out the far window and saw only darkness.

"It's late. How'd you get to stay?" Dean was trying to inquire how Finn managed to override the strict visitation hours usually held at hospitals.

Finn's shoulders moved just out of Dean's vision. He assumed it was a shrug.

"Got a way wit' the women of t'is establ-ush-ment," Finn replied.

Dean was beginning to understand that the Irishman was not a man of many words. After taking a long pause to watch some TV, Dean tried again to make sense of what had happened in his absence.

"My son? Max?" Dean could not seem to form the words to ask how Max was doing.

Finn still read the message as though Dean had said much more, "Yer ex took 'im home. He's surely asleep."

Dean gathered his strength to ask another question. Finn beat him to it with an answer, "No need ta worry yerself. Focus on wellness. Rollins an' me got ta rest."

Dean shut his eyes, again. Despite not thinking much of Seth to begin with, the man had proven to be resourceful and efficient during crisis situations. Dean was vaguely reminded of the thumping sound he heard from his apartment. _The sound that Beth's backside made bouncing off the wall every time Seth would thrust into her._

"Beth...my wife...Beth..." Dean was trying to recall a memory of being told he was to marry her.

"I told ya not ta worry yerself-" Finn started.

He was cut off by the sound of someone else barging in. Dean opened his eyes just enough to catch the silhouette of Seth standing at the foot of his bed. Seth's shoulders were hunched forward and he looked like he had been to hell and back.

"It's Beth," Seth said breathlessly.

Finn pulled Seth into a quick hug. Seth recoiled like the affection bothered him. Finn did not seem offended as he asked seriously, "Show me."

Seth left the room and Finn followed. Once again, Dean was left alone. He started to slip from consciousness when he heard someone else enter the room.

"Dad?" Max's voice sounded mangled with emotion.

Dean opened his eyes. He watched his son wander over to the bed. Max collapsed halfway across his father and began sobbing uncontrollably against the sheets. Dean put all his focus on lifting his right arm up. He dragged his hand over his son and rested it on the back of Max's head.

"Mom tried to kill you...she did it, Dad. She did," Max confessed before falling into a fit of sobs.

Dean was not sure whether he was dreaming or not. His mind was a mess of memories and fabrications. He had used all of his physical strength to put his arm over his son. He was halfway in this world and halfway in the world of the comatose.

And yet, when his son told him that the woman he once loved like no other was responsible for nearly killing him, Dean's mind made the most sense of this.

He should've known never to trust that _**bitch**_.


	16. Between

**Sixteen: Between**

Eva Marie was an early riser.

Even when she was a little girl, she was the type to get up before sunrise. A lot of it had to do with her father's schedule—meatpacking plants were demanding jobs with long hours and double or triple shifts—and it was easier to get a head-start on daily chores. After she married Ed, being an early riser took on a whole new meaning when she realized that those hours before he woke up were the only time she had to breathe.

She packed lunches and tidied up the house. She made sure everything was in its place, knowing full well Ed would find something wrong with it, anyway. Her life had become a series of rituals set against a backdrop of impending doom. She never knew when his rage would get physical. Most days it was just the threat. A verbal hit here. A comment or a strange grunt there. It didn't matter whether he actually hit her or not. The threat always kept her in survival mode.

But these early morning hours were hers. Eva could take the laundry downstairs and start some loads. She could wander the hallways and check the doors of her neighbors. She pondered what they were like if she hadn't met them. She fabricated stories about those she had met. She imagined herself staying late for dinner at the old woman's place just down the hall. She had folded clothes a few times in the laundry room with the young blonde girl from the farm named Beth. Eva always thought she'd get along best with Beth. They could be great friends. If only.

Eva packed a load of laundry for this morning. She passed the apartment of the new tenant, Dean Ambrose. She wondered if he liked his new place. She pondered what his teenage son was like. Eva wished she could introduce her daughter, Mindi. God knows Mindi needed a friend.

Her bare feet made light thumps all the way down the steps. Eva glanced out the front door but saw no one on the street. Sometimes it felt like she was the only one left alive.

Eva found the laundry room just past Enzo's door on the first floor. She noticed an odd smell as she passed Enzo's place. It was a mixture of paint and possibly vinegar. She wondered what Enzo could be working on. She imagined herself asking to see some of his work. She frowned when her mind wandered to the ugly image of Ed's reaction to her being in another man's apartment.

Her anger over her situation was there, but buried deeply. There were random times where it bubbled to the surface and Eva thought impulsively about grabbing a young man for wild, rampant sex just to spite Ed for the many times he falsely accused her of cheating and abused her regardless of the lack of evidence. Her vindictive needs seemed so far out of reach. Being a good girl seemed easier; more natural. She refused to sink to his level.

Eva sorted the laundry and started the first washer. Ed was very particular about his clothes. She made sure to check and re-check all the settings. She had learned her lesson after a pink shirt incident seven years ago. The first washer started without a hitch. The second washer sounded like it was struggling to get water. Eva stood up on her tip-toes and reached around to the back. She knew this washer was more stubborn. A jiggle of the hose in back should do it.

"Excuse me? I'm looking for my husband."

Eva jumped, startled by the sound of another woman's voice. The second washer righted itself without her help and the sound of it filling with water nearly drowned out the realization that Eva was not alone. She turned to face a stranger standing in the doorway.

"What?" Eva asked again, confused by the sudden intrusion.

The platinum haired woman put her hands on her hips and tapped her fingertips impatiently. Her features were long and thin. She was model like and striking in a tight black dress with expensive looking heels. She resembled a bird, though her wide eyes made her look too stark in the dimly lit laundry room.

"I'm looking for my husband," the woman's face made a stiff attempt at a smile.

Eva had never seen this woman before, though she seemed to think Eva knew exactly where to guide her. A random thought popped into Eva's mind that perhaps this woman would turn out to be Ed's second wife and he had a whole other family he never told her about. It would explain the many weekends he took for hunting trips.

"Dean Ambrose. My husband. Where is his place?" the woman grew more impatient with each breath she took.

"Oh!" Eva was caught by surprise, her assumption being that Dean was a single father and the mother had passed away or was no longer in the picture.

The woman took her hands from her hips and folded them against her as she replied morosely, "He didn't mention me, did he?"

She made it sound like both an expectation and an accusation. Eva explained with a shrug, "We haven't really talked. I just met him while he was moving in. His son—your son?"

The woman simply nodded.

"Anyway, I...I just saw them a quick second. Dean was moving boxes. In a hurry," Eva found herself rambling.

The tension in the room continued to increase despite learning who this woman belonged to. Eva stepped forward and held out her hand to shake.

"I'm Eva. I live upstairs-"

"I'm looking for my husband's place," the woman turned away without a name or a shake.

Eva felt oddly dejected. She curled her hand towards her before letting it rest at her side. The bile in her stomach rose slightly as the bird-like woman headed down the hallway toward the stairs. She seemed to be on a mission and she showed no signs of holding back to get what she wanted. Eva had mere seconds to decide whether to tell the woman where Dean's door was or not.

A gut instinct made her hesitate. Eva had yet to know this woman's name, much less if she were of any true relation to Dean and his son Max or not. The woman was already halfway up the stairs and it would be a matter of time before she tried to wake up other residents to find her destination.

Eva was standing near Enzo's door. She made a quick knock, not expecting a response. Much to her surprise, Enzo not only answered the door, but he was fully clothed and looked like he had been up for a long time.

"Miss Eva?" Enzo recognized her as the nice older woman from down the hall who sometimes did his laundry when he was going through a depressive episode.

Her eyes drifted to the stairwell. Enzo followed her gaze but saw nothing. He could hear someone walking on the second floor landing. Eva leaned in to him and whispered, "Could you call Seth?"

"Seth? Something the matter?" Enzo asked, matching his voice to be as quiet as Eva's.

She nodded and replied, "Someone's here looking for Dean Ambrose. He just moved in a short time ago. He lives next door to Seth and Beth. Something's off. I think Seth could help."

Enzo nodded with understanding just as a head of blonde hair leaned over the railing and the woman with sharp features glared down at them. Enzo took a big step backwards so as not to be seen and shut the door. While he searched for Seth's number, Eva did her best to stall the potentially explosive situation.

"So you're Mrs. Ambrose?" she asked politely, putting on her best innocent smile.

The woman glanced from Eva to Enzo's door and back to Eva, again. She appeared suspicious yet she had not caught on to the fact that Enzo was involved. It took her almost two minutes to finally answer, "No, I'm not a Ambrose. Not any more."

"But you said Dean is your husband," Eva noted softly, keeping her tone soothing and non-confrontational.

The woman slowly began making her way to the stairs. Eva wasn't sure whether the woman would come down to investigate or dart out the door. In an attempt to re-direct her attention, Eva made her way to the foot of the stairs.

"I kept my maiden name. I don't like the name Ambrose," the woman stated while watching Eva's every move.

The two women stood at each end of the stairs. Eva was standing slightly in the path of the woman to keep her from easily taking off. A long space of silence made suspicions more noticeable.

"Where is my husband?"

The woman asked her question strangely, as though she already knew the answer to it and she only wanted to hear how Eva would answer.

"You mean Dean? Dean Ambrose?"

Another stare-down. The woman seemed unsure whether to attack or run. Eva herself felt that she could easily escape unscathed if she simply let this woman know where Dean's place was. Ironically, the woman was standing just a few feet from his door. Still, something inside of her told Eva not to tell this woman a damn thing.

"Max doesn't look much like you. I mean, his features and his hair are more like his father's."

The woman blinked, caught off-guard. Eva heard the low rumble of Seth's motorcycle coming down the street from outside the complex. The woman gasped, startled by the sound. Eva watched as the woman's face made an expression of fear and she rushed to get down the stairs.

"Don't you want to know where your husband's place is?" Eva tried to step into the woman's path.

"Get the fuck outta my way," the woman shoved Eva so hard she lost her balance.

Eva's backside hit the floor and she nearly bumped her head against the far wall. The woman burst through the front door just as Seth was coming up the stairs. He yelled at her and tried to grab her. The woman reached for his face and dug her fingernails into his eyes.

Seth cried out in pain. Eva was trying to sit up when she felt a pair of hands reach out to help her. She saw Enzo by her side and the two of them rushed outside to help Seth. The woman had kicked him in the groin with her heel and his eyelids were streaked with blood. He fell against the concrete front steps and the woman took her chance to get away.

Enzo gave chase. The two disappeared somewhere around the corner. Eva ran to Seth's side to check his eyes. They were wild and blood-shot as they blinked her into focus. She was startled by the crimson color.

"You alright?" she asked.

Seth was still clutching his crotch as he gruffly said between pained breaths, "That bitch tried to kill Beth."

Eva Marie was an early riser. This morning, it really meant something.


	17. The Lesser-Known King

**Seventeen: The Lesser-Known King**

Enzo tried to chase down the woman.

She was moving very fast and he felt like he was moving very slow. She ran down the block and across traffic to the other side of the street. Enzo was nearly run over trying to catch up to her. He was forced to stop in the middle of the street when a large white truck refused to acknowledge him. Enzo watched as the woman got into an old brown pickup and sped off. He was trying to catch his breath when the horns from other cars startled him back to his side of the street.

He walked back to the apartment complex. Seth was stumbling down the stairs. It was obvious Seth's crotch was still on fire after the woman kicked him. His eyelids were still bleeding from where she tried to claw them with her fingernails. Seth was reaching for his bike and trying to get on.

"Don't go! It's not safe! We'll call the police! They'll handle things!" Eva Marie pleaded.

"She's skipping town. I can feel it," Seth said, revving up his bike and taking off in a mad dash to catch up to the woman.

"She went down Henderson," Enzo pointed in that direction.

"Thanks," Seth said, though the word was mostly drowned out by his bike.

He took off down the street. Enzo and Eva Marie watched as Seth's bike disappeared around the corner. They stood there for a moment in silence. Eva Marie finally looked at Enzo and asked, "Should we call the police?"

Enzo opend his mouth to reply to her when another car pulled up in front of the complex. Both Enzo and Eva Marie turned to face the occupant. A blonde woman in a slim white dress suit and ultra high heels stepped out. She looked straight at Enzo and asked, "Where's my sister?"

"I don't..." Enzo shook his head.

The woman came around the car and stepped up as close to him as possible. She put her hands on her hips and stated again, "Where's my sister, Beth?"

Enzo was struck dumb. He had never seen a woman so fierce and beautiful, before. Eva Marie was the one to respond, "She's at the hospital, I think. Seth said that someone tried to kill her."

"You tell me which hospital," Lana whipped out her phone.

"It's not far, just a few blocks from here," Eva Marie came over to help Lana find it on her phone.

Enzo was staring. Lana was headed back to her car once she had the location. He finally managed to tell her, "I'll go with you. I'm a friend of Beth's."

"Where's Seth?" Lana asked.

"He's uh...he's getting things in order," Enzo answered.

He glanced at Eva Marie. He thought she might blow their cover, but her expression was stoic. Lana waved Enzo to her car and said, "Hurry up."

Enzo told Eva Marie as he was leaving, "If she comes back this way, call the police."

Eva Marie nodded and Enzo got in the car with Lana.

"Beth's sister, you got a name?" Enzo asked as they pulled away.

"Lana," she answered stiffly.

"Lana. That's a nice name," he grinned.

She was determined to mow through traffic on her way to the hospital as she asked absently, "What's your name?"

"Enzo," he answered.

"An Italian," she said with a twinge of appreciation in her voice.

"And I can cook," he joked.

"Good, because I can't," Lana replied dryly.

:-:

Finn had taken Max out for lunch. Dean was alone when the nurse came to discharge him.

He was taken out of his room in a wheelchair and to the front desk, where Dean asked about his fiancee, Beth, who had been brought in with a head injury. The heavy-set African American nurse he spoke to didn't seem that excited to show him the way, but she did relent after Dean mentioned his young son was also wondering what was going on with his stepmom-to-be.

Dean was shown to a room where Beth was sleeping soundly. A tall nurse with dark hair was already there when he wheeled in. He asked her about Beth's condition.

"She has a minor concussion. The doctor wants her to stay here overnight because she was unconscious for a while. If she's doing well, she could go home as soon as tomorrow."

"Do you know how this happened?" Dean asked.

"We were told by the man who brought her in that she was assaulted by a co-worker. The man left before the police could get his statement. We'll need him to come back and make one so they can get a case started."

"He'll be back. I'll talk to him," Dean said.

"Would you like some time alone with her?" the nurse asked.

"No, I need to get home and pick up some of her things. I'll check in on her a little later," Dean answered.

"You both be careful, now," the woman said.

"Sure thing," Dean replied with a smile.

He turned his chair around and wheeled out of the room. He went back to the front desk and asked the same heavy-set woman if he could use a phone to call for a ride. Dean called a taxi service instead and asked them to take him to a specific address.

It was the address where Dean last saw Bobby.

:-:

A young man in a gray car arrived to pick up Dean. He was glad that Max and Finn weren't back, yet. He didn't want to explain to them where he was going. Instead, Dean left a voicemail on Max's phone that told him Beth's room number and her condition. Dean finished the message with, "I'm going to make this right, son. I love you."

He hung up just as the taxi service arrived at Bobby's place. Dean got out and immediately noticed that Bobby's truck was still parked outside. Either Bobby hadn't been told what happened between Beth and Charlotte, or he was waiting for Charlotte to come to him.

Dean slowly walked up to the front door. He knew that Bobby was probably watching from the windows, and that was confirmed when Bobby opened the door before Dean could knock. Bobby had a look on his face like he knew exactly why Dean was there. Charlotte must've already talked to him.

Bobby closed the door behind Dean and they wandered into the living room. Bobby went to the kitchen and opened the fridge, asking in a low tone, "Glad to see you're out of the hospital. Want a beer?"

"No, thanks," Dean answered, taking a seat at one of the bar stools near the kitchen.

Bobby took a beer out for himself and popped the lid off at the top of the fridge. He drank down the entire beer and tossed it into the trash can nearby. Bobby took out a second beer and did the same thing. He was on to a third when Dean asked, "You going to tell me you're not involved?"

"Why should I? You know the whole story, right? You should've been a detective, Dean-O," Bobby answered sarcastically.

"I want to hear it from you. You've been sleeping with my wife," Dean stated.

"Ex-wife," Bobby was quick to correct him.

Bobby finished the rest of his third beer and slammed the fridge door. He tossed the bottle in the trash can, but it bounced off the lid and clattered on the floor. Bobby paced back and forth as Dean went on, "She was my wife when you came for her."

"How do you know that? Did you ask her? You don't know shit about shit!" Bobby yelled.

"Do you even care about Max at all?" Dean asked.

Bobby lunged for him, but Dean stood up and moved aside so Bobby went face-first into the couch, instead. Bobby rolled off and hit the floor. His face was bright red as he stood up and argued, "Don't you tell me I don't love that boy!"

"You tried to kill his father!" Dean accused him.

Bobby shouted in a drunken rage, "If I had killed you, you would've been dead!"

Unintentionally, Bobby had confirmed what Max had told Dean. Charlotte was the one who tried to kill him. Not Bobby. She had gone after Beth, as well. The woman he once loved enough to marry, the mother of his children, had died along with their baby girl.

 _Charlotte was a psychopath, and his best friend, Bobby, was letting her be._

Bobby tried to get up and run at Dean, again. The two wrestled one another on the kitchen floor. Dean reached for the bottle that had missed the trash can and smashed it over Bobby's head. Bobby stood up and stumbled over to the kitchen sink, blood gushing from a head wound.

Dean was trying to get up. He was still weak from recovery and he wasn't as fast as he needed to be. He was almost to his feet when Bobby caught him by surprise with a long kitchen knife to the stomach.

Dean stumbled backwards and hit the kitchen floor. The front door flew open and Charlotte ran inside, yelling, "What the fuck is going on?!"

Bobby reached for her, but his head wound was severe. He collapsed across Dean's legs and closed his eyes. Dean tried to kick him off, but his wound was also severe. Dean tried to pull his cell phone from his pocket to get emergency services. Charlotte snatched the phone out of his hand and tossed it somewhere in the dining room.

"You stupid man! You stupid, stupid man!" she yelled at Dean.

She didn't bother to check if Bobby was still alive. Charlotte grabbed Bobby's cell phone out of his pocket and ran back out the door. Dean managed to slide out from under Bobby. He got up and followed after Charlotte.

Dean watched as Charlotte ran down the street and into a brown truck. She didn't look back as she pulled into traffic and sped off. Dean fell to his knees, his eyes still focused on Charlotte as she crossed lanes on a red light. Another truck and two cars slammed into her full speed. Dean slumped over on his side, still clutching his stomach, and watched as people got out of their cars to see what was going on.

 _Charlotte didn't get out of her truck._

:-:

Seth wasn't far behind, but he struggled to keep up with Charlotte.

She was moving so fast in and out of traffic that he was surprised she didn't cause more of a disruption along the way. She didn't seem to be going in any particular direction and Seth wondered if she was on to him. He made himself as invisible as possible, cutting along sidewalks and shielding himself behind bigger vehicles until he was sure Charlotte wasn't aware of him.

They eventually drove into an older part of Atlanta. It was the kind of area that had connections to help someone disappear. Seth believed that Charlotte was going to make a stop very soon, and he could take her down as soon as she did.

He watched her pull over beside a house. Seth figured that this wasn't the house where her connection lived. She would be walking the rest of the way. Seth parked his own bike in a nearby alley and watched from a distance as Charlotte made her way down to the next street, where she stopped on the lawn of a house on the corner.

She suddenly took off running.

Seth thought she might be making a break for it. He started after her, but stopped short when he saw her running up to the front door.

 _Shit must be going down._

He waited for a few seconds. The front door was wide open. In this area, that would be a mistake. He would move in only when he was sure that he could catch Charlotte off-guard. He didn't have to wait very long.

She rushed out of the house clutching a cell phone. Charlotte ran to her truck and got inside. Seth was so busy watching her, he almost missed Dean coming out of the same house with blood coming from his abdomen.

Charlotte pulled out into the street and drove off. Seth didn't have time to try and catch up to her. He was more concerned about Dean. The man was obviously severely wounded. Seth ran across the street and down the sidewalk toward Dean. Seth was still running when Charlotte reached the intersection and several cars smashed into her truck.

Seth stopped short of Dean and got down on his knees to help him. There were people around Charlotte. The ambulance would arrive, soon.

Seth rolled Dean onto his lap and looked him over. Seth was aware that the wound was too serious. Dean tried to say something, but he was weak from blood loss. Dean closed his eyes and passed out.

:-:

Seth sat in a chair against the wall of Beth's hospital room. It was late and the TV was playing a night show with a special guest who Seth didn't recognize. The sound of Beth's heart rate beeped quietly over and over. A nurse came in from time to time to check on her.

He knew that he was exhausted, but Seth didn't want to sleep. Lana and Enzo were asleep on a couch across the room. Finn had gone to work so he could cover for Seth. Max was sitting in a chair next to Seth. He was also wide awake. Seth couldn't blame the boy for refusing to sleep. He had lost everyone he ever knew on the same day.

"We'll take you in," Seth told Max to reassure him.

Max nodded his head, but kept his gaze on Beth. Seth reminded him, "She'll be alright."

Max said nothing. Seth watched the TV for a while. Max suddenly turned to him and asked, "Do you think Bobby was my real dad?"

Seth blinked with surprise. He pondered the idea for a moment, then he shook his head and said, "No, you're a good young man, like Dean."

Max returned his gaze to Beth as he asked, "You think we'll be okay?"

"Yeah," Seth answered, adding softly, "We'll be okay."

THE END


End file.
